Reintegration Caseworker Profile

What is a Reintegration Caseworker?

A Reintegration Caseworker assists prisoners who have numerous and complex reintegration needs and are nearing their release from prison. Caseworkers coordinate with a prisoner's family, other Corrections staff such as probation officers, and other agencies such as Work and Income, to help address needs including housing, employment and skills training, pro-social community support, managing relationships and access to health services.

What is the role of a Reintegration Caseworker?

Reintegration Caseworkers aim to reduce re-offending, by helping prisoners to successfully reintegrate into society.

They work with prison Case Officers and Sentence Planners to assist prisoners in addressing their reintegrative needs through the sentence management process.

Caseworkers also prepare and help implement reintegration plans with prisoners. They assess a prisoner's reintegration needs, and coordinate with a wide range of specialists and support people to ensure implementation of the plan.

The types of reintegrative needs that caseworkers may help to access:

• acquiring suitable accommodation
• obtaining employment
• managing finances
• managing relationship issues
• developing pro-social community support
• preventing victim-related problems
• achieving post-release health care continuity

How do prisoners access this service?

Prisoners who are eight months from their release or parole eligibility date, and meet any of the following criteria, are able to access the services of a Reintegration Caseworker:

• all prisoners who on release, will be under the age of 20.
• mainstream prisoners with three or more reintegration needs in their sentence plan e.g. obtaining employment, managing relationships, pro-social community support.
• prisoners with one or more particularly complex need - such as difficulty in accessing suitable accommodation and specialist health services, and who those who are deemed to be a high risk of re-offending.

Where are Reintegration Caseworkers located?

Reintegration Caseworkers 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 Reintegration Caseworkers, Social Workers, Whanau Liaison Workers and Reintegration Team Leaders.

Locations

Reintegration Caseworkers 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.