Muslim Chaplain

Job Introduction

HMP Bronzefield has an exciting opportunity for a Muslim Chaplain to work within the Chaplaincy Team to provide pastoral and faith specific care to prisoners and staff at HMP Bronzefield.

HMP/YOI Bronzefield is a closed local prison serving courts across the South of England. Our mission is to deliver quality of life services which make a meaningful difference to women in the criminal justice system by supporting them to change their lives for the better. To achieve this we focus on providing needs-based services and programmes to rehabilitate and improve the well-being of our women. 

We house up to 572 women (approximately 14.5% of the national female prison population). The women in our custody have a diverse and complex set of needs and range from mothers and babies, young offenders, life and long term sentenced women, short to mid-term sentenced women, foreign nationals and women on remand. 

We have been awarded a bronze accreditation by Investors in People for our commitment to our staff, their development, engagement and investment in a sustainable future.

Sodexo Justice aims to change lives for the better by reducing reoffending and improving the quality of life for those under our supervision and in our care. We deliver safe, effective and innovative custodial and community rehabilitation services that challenge offending behaviour, protect the public and offer individuals the opportunity to change their lives for the better. We deliver the total operation of five prisons within the UK and own six Community Rehabilitation Companies in partnership with crime reduction charity Nacro.

Learn more about working in Justice and HMP Bronzefield 

Role Responsibility

• Act as faith advisor in the establishment providing advice, pastoral care and spiritual welfare to prisoners, staff and their families as requested
• Facilitate and deliver opportunities for worship study and religious programmes
• Contribute towards the development of local policy, procedures and practice
• Provide mentoring and personal support for other chaplains and volunteers including following incidents 
• Be part of the provision of available and accessible chaplaincy care at all times
• Plan and lead worship and prayer / faith specific meetings
• Provide pastoral care to prisoners and help to provide support and bring resolution to crisis situations where required 

**see below for full job description**

The Ideal Candidate

• Have in depth knowledge of Islam (preferably hold a recognised qualification in Islamic Studies at graduate level).
• Demonstrate substantial experience of excellent Imam skills (relevant practical experience in delivery of worship, group work and pastoral care)
• Formal endorsement from the Prison Service Muslim Adviser at Chaplaincy HQ (evidence required before appointment).
• Able to work in a flexible and creative way whilst maintaining good planning, organisational and record keeping skills, along with good verbal and written communication skills, a good level of computer literacy, good decision making and problem solving skills, along with the skills to produce monthly and/or annual reports.
• Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with local & faith-based communities and staff at all levels of the business, other Chaplains, and prison visitors and volunteers.
• Able to confidently engage with, target and recruit from various community groups.
• Able to communicate through public speaking and the leading of groups, programmes and corporate acts of worship.
• Able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.
• You will have developed a broad base of support from the community including volunteers from a variety of faith backgrounds.
• You will have developed a good reputation for working alongside Residents, Chaplaincy colleagues, other departments within Bronzefield and external agencies and community faith groups.
• A respect and co-operation with the ethos of the business and the prison in supporting the delivery of chaplaincy

Desirable

• Experience of working with diverse faith and social community groups.
• Experience of working within a prison.
• Experience of working within a Chaplaincy Team (prison, hospital, education etc) and /or other prison departmental areas.
• Experience of working independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of fundraising

Package Description

Salary £11,714.56 per annum + London weighting (monthly payment of £122.77)

16 hours a week - Thursdays and Fridays

What we offer

• Season ticket loans
• Free meals
• Free parking
• Subsidised gym membership
• Group discount schemes
• Pension
• Up to 28 days holiday pro rata (inclusive of Bank Holidays)

Location - HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3JZ. Please note this is not located near Ashford in Kent.

This role is subject to a Counter Terrorism Clearance requirement prior to the appointment in addition to other Vetting and MOJ clearances.

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs around 30,000 people, and partners with clients in many sectors across business and industry; schools and universities; sports and leisure; energy and resources; government and agencies; healthcare; justice and defence.

Sodexo’s connected; people-centric approach brings together a diverse range of expertise. The breadth of services it offers ranges from food and hospitality; cleaning; reception; concierge (Circles); security; property management and technical services through to data driven workplace strategy and design (Wx); employee engagement and recognition services (Sodexo Engage) and personal home services through Prestige Nursing + Care and the Good Care Group.

Vital Spaces is Sodexo’s value proposition that puts people at the heart of everything we do, bringing together services and solutions and focusing on the productivity and wellbeing of people wherever they are.

Sodexo is committed to being an inclusive employer; we welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations.

We are building on our support to the Armed Forces community through the development of specific pathways within our recruitment process to  support ex-forces personnel and reservists, those applying for jobs with us who meet the ideal candidate criteria for the role advertised are guaranteed to progress to the selection process

Sodexo and our clients are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults within a regulated activity. Certain roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/ or Disclosure Scotland.

Please note all roles within Sodexo Justice are subject to security and recruitment checks which may include a Social Media Check. You will also be asked to provide 5 years’ worth of references and request employment history details from the HMRC.