Release Engagement Practitioner | Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	Lancashire Care Foundation Trust
Salary:	£28,392 - £31,157 per annum
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Preston, PR3 2JH
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	28 Aug 2026
Closing date:	27 Sept 2026

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Summary

Release Engagement Practitioner: This role requires supporting people primarily in the area of East Lancashire, though will require cover across other areas of Lancashire as required by the service.

Essential: Diploma in Health and/or Social Care or equivalent experience

Level 3 NVQ in health related subject

Desirable: Foundation degree within a relevant field e.g. health, psychology, criminology etc (or equivalent qualification/ reflected experience).

The post holder will work within the Reconnect Care after Custody service for Lancashire and Cumbria, covering 6 prisons and the wider community of Lancashire and Cumbria. Reconnect is a triage, assessment, referral and support service and starts working with people before they leave prison, where they will have access to a Reconnect practitioners and support practitioners, helping them to make the transition to community-based services that will provide the health and care support that they need. It is offered to people in prison up to 3 months prior to release, and up to 6 months support post release.

Reconnect will create an effective link between prison & community in order to:

• increase access & uptake up of healthcare or relevant support services for vulnerable individuals who would otherwise struggle to engage

• reduce health inequalities for prison leavers

• ensure the health needs of individuals who are leaving prison are met

• ensure a safe transition from prison to community-based healthcare & support services & to provide follow-up to ensure engagement is maintained

The post holder will actively engage and work with a number of individuals who are likely to have a wide range of vulnerabilities and complex needs, including homelessness, substance misuse problems, mental health, significant risk histories and social exclusion, and who at times may present with extremely challenging behaviours. They will support people to access services for the full scope of vulnerabilities as identified

Please note that hybrid working is necessary due to the area of coverage – involving some working from home and utilising other trust sites as a bases as required

Vetting and Clearances:

• LSCFT staff entering the prison and probation estate will be subject to HMPPS security vetting carried out by National Offender Management Service and will be required to undergo Enhanced Level 1 vetting.

• The post holder is also expected to be have Enhanced DBS status.

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Explore our full wellbeing offer here:Keeping our workforce well

For more details on this vacancy please review the attached job description and person specification.

This advert closes on Sunday 13 Sep 2026

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