Experiential Advisors

Position: Experiential Advisors – Engaging with People on Probation (EPOP)

Salary: £12.22/ hour inclusive of annual leave accrual and travel expenses paid+ excellent benefits

Hours / Contract: Ad-hoc – expected commitment of 1.5 days per month, for at least 6 months

Location: Flexible with travel within and/or to one or more of: North-East, North-West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands and Greater Manchester

Ref: PC/EPOP/CJ/5

Who are we?

The Wise Group and St Giles came together 2 years ago to form a partnership with the aim of supporting the Probation Resettlement reforms by offering a high-quality service underpinned by staff who have lived experience and cultural competency. To date we have been awarded 17 contracts to deliver Personal Wellbeing and Women’s Services across England and Wales.

The Wise Group is a leading social enterprise which is proud to be making a difference to people’s lives. We’re proud because we help people to find jobs, provide advice to people struggling to heat their homes and support people to find their feet following time in prison. To do this, the Wise Group works in partnership with everyone from large businesses to national and local government and third sector organisations who provide essential specialist support to our customers. Together, we’re greater than the sum of our parts.

St Giles is an award-winning social justice charity using expertise and real-life past experiences to empower people who are not getting the help they need. People held back by poverty, exploited, abused, dealing with addiction or mental health problems, caught up in crime or a combination of these issues and others. We show people there is a way to build a better future for themselves and those they care about and help them create this through support, advice, and training. Our peer-led services form the backbone of our work, putting people with lived experience at the centre of delivery, design, and evaluation of support and services across the UK.

The opportunity

The Engaging People on Probation (EPOP) project is an exciting new opportunity to work closely with the Probation Service (PS) as part of a ground-breaking St Giles Wise project.

Experiential Advisors with experience of probation will be at the centre of this project and play a leading role working with PS to assess current approaches to EPOP, identify opportunities for positive change, and help make them happen.

We are seeking people with lived experience of the prison and probation services across England & Wales to participate in this work on a sessional basis.

You will be trained and supported to participate in a wide range of ways, gaining skills and experience for life and work while having the opportunity to influence long-term positive change for PS and people on probation.

We are looking for people who have:

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by people on probation
• Relevant lived experience, e.g., either on license, recently left the justice system
• Other lived experience, e.g., of homelessness, mental distress, substance misuse, domestic violence/abuse, disability, involvement in care system
• Ability to relate directly and authentically to people on probation as a peer
• Experience of completing tasks where communication is important
• Sensitivity to people’s experience and ability to treat information as confidential

Please see the role profile for more details.

Please note this role is subject to Standard Plus Vetting, there are some offences that may not pass the additional security vetting. Further information on this can be found here.

We care about offering great benefits

The Wise Group provides an inclusive and supportive working environment and an excellent benefits package, which includes the following:

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Health Care Plan
• Daily online sessions to encourage positive wellbeing
• And more!

How to apply

To apply, please send an expression of interest of around 500 words, explaining why you feel you would be best suited to the role. Your expression of interest should be sent to recruitment@thewisegroup.co.uk.

The Wise Group is committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce and to the equality of opportunity for all. We encourage applications from candidates currently under-represented in our enterprise, so we are keen to hear from people from ethnic minority groups, disabled and/or neuro diverse people and those from a lower socio-economic background.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

If you have a disability which prevents you from applying online, please call 0141 303 3131.

Scottish Charity No: SC004089