Approved Social Worker Profile

What is a Social Worker?

A Social Worker supports prisoners' safe and humane containment whilst they are in prison, and contributes to their reintegration back into the community on release.

What is the role of a Social Worker?

Social Workers engage with prisoners from their reception into prison, through to their release. The majority of their work is conducted when a prisoner first enters prison. They assess prisoners' needs and produce intervention plans to address these needs accordingly.

The following is some of the types of services that the Social Worker can provide:

• helping to adjust to prison life eg explaining what is expected of the prisoner;
• ensuring immediate needs are responded to when the prisoner is received at the prison eg ensuring family members are notified, children are picked up from school or pets are being looked after;
• assisting in matters where significant legal considerations are involved or specialist knowledge eg. protection orders or child access orders;
• assisting mothers with babies eg. having the baby stay with the mother in prison or feeding and bonding visitations;
• providing referrals to support agencies eg ACC counselling;
• facilitating meetings with family/whanau, professionals and other persons from the community as required.

How do prisoners access this service?

When a prisoner is inducted into the prison, they are informed that a Social Worker is available to see them individually. If the prisoner agrees, the Social Worker will undertake an assessment to identify the prisoner's core needs and develop an intervention plan to address these needs.

Where are Social Workers located?

Social Workers form part of the prison-based Regional Reintegration Teams, which are located throughout the country and service all prisons. Reintegration teams are made up of Social Workers, Whanau Liaison Workers, Reintegration Case Workers and Reintegration Team Leaders.

Location

Social Workers can be contacted via the Regional Reintegration Teams, as per below:

Northern Regional Reintegration Team:

Services – Auckland Prison, Mt Eden Prison, Auckland Central Remand Prison, Northland Regional Corrections Facility, Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility.

Waikato/Central Regional Reintegration Team:

Services - Waikeria Prison, Tongariro/Rangipo Prison, Spring Hill Corrections Facility

Midland Regional Reintegration Team:

Services - Hawkes Bay Prison, New Plymouth Prison, Wanganui Prison and Manawatu Prison.

Wellington Regional Reintegration Team:

Services - Rimutaka Prison, Arohata Prison and Wellington Prison.

South Island Regional Reintegration Team:

Services - Christchurch Men’s Prison, Christchurch Women’s Prison, Rolleston Prison, Invercargill Prison and Otago Corrections Facility.