Title: Mentor

Location: North West (including HMP Lancaster Farms, Preston, Haverigg) – the role will be agile meaning that you can work flexibly between 2 days at our sites and from home

Salary: £21,703.54 to £23,906.01pa

Hours: 35hrs per week

Contract: 3 years fixed term

As a Mentor, you will be working with people in prison and people on probation as part of our Ministry of Justice contract delivering Finance, Benefit & Debt services across the North-West of England.

You will be prison-based delivering bespoke 1:1 support to address the finance, benefit and debt needs of customers (people in prison). You will work with customers to ensure they receive the right advice, guidance, support and advocacy necessary throughout their journey with us. This includes: the provision of advice on benefits; budgeting skills; debt management; advocating and negotiating on their behalf to third parties; liaising with relevant external agencies; support to set up bank account; access to correct benefits and entitlements.

Customers will rely on you to help them overcome issues regarding their financial situation and achieving financial security. You will create a bespoke action plan with your customers detailing the actions, activities and interventions that will help manage and resolve their finance, benefit and debt issues, making referrals to specialists where an integrated approach is required to manage complex needs.

In addition, you will:

• Provide person-centred mentoring support to customers in prison (and outreach in the community as required)
• Mentor and advise customers in a variety of finance, benefit and debt related areas, tailoring appropriate interventions based on the customer’s level of need
• Provide a professional and excellent standard of service to achieve customer outcomes
• Build positive relationships and communicate effectively with internal and external partners
• Contribute as part of the team, ensuring smooth operation of the service to achieve key performance targets

Full training will be provided to equip you with the knowledge and skills to provide money advice and guidance.

You can read more about the rewards you will receive on the job description attached to the advert on our website.

What we are looking for:

You will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Personal experience or knowledge of the challenges faced by those who have dealt with offending/addictions/ homelessness and able to empathise and withhold judgement
• Ability to find innovative ways to work with customers to identify and find informed solutions to the challenges faced by them
• Working knowledge of health, debts, housing, court systems, mental health, criminal justice, and substance misuses
• Hold a full UK driving license and have access to my own transport for work purposes
• Experience in maintaining professional boundaries, even in challenging situations

You may also have:

• Lived experience of related challenges, such as mental health needs, criminal justice settings, homelessness etc.
• Experience working in prison environment or experience of working with offenders
• Health education qualification, such approved Mental Health First Aid Practitioner
• Experience or training in money and debt/welfare benefits advice from an accredited provider
• Knowledge of benefits process, understanding of finance issues
• Knowledge and understanding of local area and services

Don’t meet all requirements?

If the role sounds exciting to you but your experience, skills or qualifications don’t exactly match every single requirement, we would still encourage you to apply, you may be just the right person for our position!

Caring for our people.

We offer a wide range of support. Some of our benefits include:

• PULSE – your rewards, wellbeing, and benefits platform. Providing access to thousands of discounts and benefits including cashback; reloadable cards; savings etc.
• Wellbeing support: Our Wellbeing hub that gives physical, and mental health support. We also have an Employee Assistance Programme with access to appointments
• Taking time for you: we work flexibly –you get to choose where you work, managing your own diary. We have generous annual leave, starting at 25 rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays, as well as your birthday off.
• Planning for the future: We have a contributory pension scheme.
• Structured Induction: Onboarding you into the Charity supporting your wellbeing along the way.
• £300 when you introduce a Friend: receive up to £300 when you introduce a friend or family member

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer. We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

The Recruitment Advisor looking after this role is Sylwia Kraska-Pakulska. If you have any questions about the position, please feel free to drop her an email at