Church of England Chaplain

Job Introduction

Reporting to the Community Chaplaincy Manager, as a Church of England Chaplain you will be expected to be a key member of the community chaplaincy team, engaging in the provision of care for the whole community as well as in Faith-specific duties.  Providing spiritual guidance and support to those of your tradition.

Role Responsibility

The key aspects of the post are:

• Facilitate worship in a manner appropriate to your tradition and the needs of the women.
• Provide Pastoral Care to prisoners of all faiths and none.
• Ensure all prisoners have access to religious/spiritual support appropriate to their needs
• Provide opportunities for faith development, in conjunction with other Christian Chaplains.
• Promote and contribute activities (faith-based or more generally) within the prison that seek to reduce re-offending and damage to victims lives.
• Ensure, with other chaplains, that all new prisoners are seen as soon after their reception into the prison as possible, that statutory visits to prisoners in Care and Separation and Healthcare take place daily, provide counsel and support to prisoners in times of difficulty, liaising with their families if appropriate.
• Provide appropriate and sensitive care when a death is notified and support to those who have been bereaved.
• Work appropriately and according to protocols, as a member of the Chaplaincy team, when a serious incident develops.
• Attend and contribute to reviews and meetings related to the wellbeing and resettlement of prisoners, ensure all logs are filled on a daily basis and provide Pastoral support for staff.
• Ensure appropriate handovers to other members of the team take place.
• Maintain and develop links with the diocese, the wider C of E community and especially with Anglican clergy and churches that are local to the prison.
• Attend appropriate training and take opportunities to support your own faith development.
• Report any problems or concerns, potential breaches of security or Health and Safety hazards to the appropriate people immediately.
• Ensure that all keys are treated appropriately and are kept secure when in possession.
• To undertake duties as required by the management

The Ideal Candidate

You will need to demonstrate:

• Commitment and eligibility as an Anglican; must be approved by the local Church of England Bishop to perform the duties required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.  The ability to prioritise and manage workload.  Be highly motivated and willing to learn.  Knowledge or experience of chaplaincy in a custodial setting.  Awareness of issues effecting women in custody.  Broad pastoral experience.  Understanding of Child Safeguarding procedures.
• Be flexible in approach.  Be committed to professional, personal and spiritual development.
• Be willing to participate in training as required in order to keep up to date with all mandatory and refresher training.
• Some weekend working will be necessary for this role.

Desirable

• Experience in working with women who have experienced abuse, domestic violence, bereavement or who have mental health problems.  Experience in networking with churches and voluntary sector organisations. 
• Experience of working with volunteers.  Understanding the principles of Restorative Justice.
• Knowledge of relevant PSO’s and PSI’s.

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs some 35,000 employees to deliver integrated facilities management services to clients at over 2,300 locations in the corporate, healthcare, education, leisure, defence and justice sectors.

With an annual turnover of over £1bn, we provide everything from catering, cleaning and reception to security, laboratory and grounds maintenance services, enabling our clients to focus on their core business.