Care Not Custody Caseworker West Sussex

Closing Date: 27 July 2026

 

Brighton Women’s Centre is seeking a part time, 21 hours, Care Not Custody, Case Worker, in West Sussex to deliver face to face interventions, to women who have had contact with the Sussex Police or who are in breach of their Probation Community Order.
Job Title:

Care Not Custody Caseworker West Sussex

Employer:

Brighton Women's Centre

Purpose of role:

To deliver one to one, face to face case-work interventions for women in contact with Sussex Police, Probation, or at Probation Breach Court.

Salary:

£17,203.75 (FTE £28,672.91).

Working hours:

21-hour post 3 days a week to cover Thursday and Friday Working hours are within normal office hours, 9am-5pm. Occasional out-of-hours may be required.

Work location:

Care Not Custody Caseworkers are based Pan Sussex with this post being primarily based in West Sussex, Worthing and Crawley Probation, Breach Court and surrounding areas, and in BWC locations in Sussex. Local travel will be expected to a multitude of venues with varying accessibility, requiring in-person attendance. Applicants can discuss accessibility requirements with the hiring manager.

Responsible to:

Care Not Custody Senior Practitioner/CNC Manager

Contract type:

Fixed term until 31st December 2026, with the possibility for extension subject to successful bid.

Closing date:

27 July 2026

Interview date:

W/C 3rd August

About this role:

Care Not Custody is an intervention service in partnership with Sussex Police and HMP Probation Service, to divert women away from the criminal justice system, by offering case work support through an Out of Court disposal (OOCD) or intervention to prevent a breach of their probation order.

Care Not Custody encourages frontline Police Officers to consider an OOCD in cases where they would normally have charged a woman. Currently, women who receive a Conditional Caution or Community Resolution do not have access to a women specific service in Sussex. Women who agree to the condition will be referred to BWC by Sussex Police for casework support, diverting them away from the formal criminal justice system into a holistic support package.

Care Not Custody will work closely with Probation Officers to identify women who are at risk or in breach of their community order or license agreement and offer interventions to encourage women to re-engage.  Care Not Custody staff attend Breach Court to meet with women who are listed in breach, staff work with the women to empower reengagement with their community orders.

The Care Not Custody Caseworker will provide holistic, integrated casework support for women in Sussex supporting women to navigate and access the services they require to address a range of practical and emotional needs, including helping with signposting, advocacy, and referrals. They will be informed by BWC’s values, policies and procedures and will understand the importance of building trust and self-esteem with service users, to enhance recovery and engagement with BWC and other services and will complete all reporting requirements on the BWC database.

This project sits within BWC’s Inspire Service, which delivers support for women who are involved in the Criminal Justice System and is the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) provider for women in Sussex. In line with BWC values, Inspire adopts a relational, trauma-informed, strengths-based approach.  Inspire supports women with a range of underlying needs, with the overarching aim of supporting women to move away from the Criminal Justice System and improve their access to a range of services.

About Us:

BWC have been delivering services to women for over fifty years. We understand that the women we support have complex and interrelated needs, with high incidences of trauma and abuse.

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We recognise women are the experts of their experience and ensure our services are co-produced and based on what women tell us they need.  Our approach is relational, holistic and practical and takes account of the complexity of women’s circumstances, background and experiences.

BWC are part of a national network of women’s centres and gender responsive providers, committed to identifying best practice in ensuring women and girls with complex needs can access the right support in the right place at the right time.

Why work for us:

BWC offers staff members:
  • a generous package of benefits including a well-being allowance and a well-being hour during the working week
  • birthday leave
  • city centre offices on public transport routes
  • clinical supervision
  • reflective group practice
  • access to therapeutic debrief as required
  • a comprehensive training package
  • opportunities for continuing professional development
  • staff social events
  • flexible working opportunities and a caring, understanding work environment that appreciates the complexities of women’s working and home lives

To Apply:

For the full job description, person specification and more information on BWC please download the Job Application Pack.

To apply please complete an application form and equalities monitoring form and return these to [email protected] before the deadline clearly specifying your preferred location of work. We do not accept CVs.

BWC is committed to inclusion and diversity and actively encourage applications from women from a variety of backgrounds, and with a range of skills and experiences.

We are particularly interested to hear from women who have personal experience of the criminal justice system, those from Black or Racially Minoritised Communities who are currently under-represented in the organisation as well as people with LGBTQ+ identities.