Careers at Big Life

Prison Link Worker

About The Big Life Group

The Big Life Group’s mission is to fight for equity in health, in wealth and in life. We are a social business delivering a range of services across the North of England, covering everything from mental and physical health, addiction and criminal justice, to housing, education, family support and much more. What links them together is the way we work – The Big Life Way.

We always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people, working with them on the things that matter most to them. Everything we do is designed and informed by the needs, priorities and strengths of people and communities.

If you’re looking for more than a job – if you want to be part of a team that’s bold, creative and relentlessly committed to equity – then Big Life could be the place for you.

The basics

Salary 

NJC point 17 (£32,046 – 26/27) 

Hours 

35 hours per week, fixed term until 30 September 2027 

Annual leave 

25 days, increasing to 30 days after five years 

Level of DBS check 

Enhanced DBS. Security Vetting – Enhanced Level 1 (HMPPS) 

Base 

Various locations across Greater Manchester as need dictates. 

Line manager 

Team leader 

Closing date for applications 

Thursday, October 8, 2026 

We recognise that AI tools can be useful in supporting job applications, for example by helping with spelling, grammar, structure, or clarity. However, the content of your application should reflect your own skills, experience, knowledge, and ideas. You may be asked at an interview to expand on or discuss any part of your application.

What you’ll be doing

The overall aim of this role is to identify and support the needs of People on Probation that will contribute to their progression and complement support around rehabilitation. You will focus on people being released from prison on licence to any of the ten local authority areas of Greater Manchester, facilitating at-the-gate pickups and taking people to agreed destinations – including probation office, agreed accommodation, women’s centres and wellbeing hubs.

You will also meet people in prison who have been referred to a Wellbeing service as part of the pre-release plan, meeting as many times as needed to support the reasons for referrals pre-release. If appropriate, you will then meet them at the gate and take them to a wellbeing hub in their locality. You will support transportation on the day of release, collect the Person on Probation promptly, liaising with the prison and pre-release team to ensure they are at the prison ahead of their release time.

How to apply

For everything you need to know about this role, take a look at our Recruitment Pack. That’s the place where you’ll find the Job Description and Person Specification, as well as a bit more about what it’s like to work at Big Life.

Unfortunately, we’re not able to accept applications after the deadline, and we can’t accept CVs.