JOB DETAILS

Title: Global Hub for Community-Based Health in Detention (CBHinD) Manager

Duration: 7 months (with likely extension)

Salary: €65,000 Pro Rata

Reporting to: Community Based Health & First Aid Programme Manager

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Irish Red Cross Society (IRC) is part of the world’s largest independent humanitarian network, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The IRC is committed to and bound by its Fundamental Principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, and Universality. The vision of the Irish Red Cross is to be a leading humanitarian organisation, providing impartial services and support to vulnerable communities at home and abroad. Our mission is to identify and deliver humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

SUMMARY OF ROLE

Irish Red Cross is in all 14 prisons in Ireland empowering the prison community to work together, help each other, build trust, educate, inform and adopt a new and open approach to health care in a detention setting. Prisoners are educated to make better decisions about their healthcare which contributes to better healthcare outcomes in communities that are often deprived and under-resourced.

The Community-Based Health in Detention programme has been operating since 2022 as an extension of the Community-Based Health in Justice programme in Irish prisons. In Ireland, under a partnership between the Irish Red Cross and the Irish Prison Service (IPS), groups of volunteer inmates are recruited annually in each prison and attend a weekly training session with the full course duration taking place over 6-9 months. During their training, volunteer inmates develop skills to promote the health and safety of their prison community through peer-to-peer education. The Global Hub was established based on the success of Ireland’s programme over the past 15 years to share knowledge and support other National societies and their Detention Services who wish to implement a similar programme in their jurisdiction.

The Community-Based Health in Detention (CBHinD) model recognises that detainees are not merely passive recipients of health services but can become active contributors to improving their mental health and fostering the well-being of their community within the prisons. Its success has been recognised by the WHO Best Practice award for Best Practice in Prison Health 2011 and Best practice on Mental health by the EU commission in 2024.

The role of the Community-Based Health in Detention Manager is to manage this work internationally, with the expertise that reflects the international credibility of the Irish Red Cross in Community-Based Health in Detention, working collaboratively with ICRC Detention and Health Officers, IFRC Head of Health, Irish Prison Service, Head of Infection Control and other relevant partnerships on which the Global Hub has built.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Hub Management

The manager will be responsible for managing the Global Hub through an action research framework. The manager represents the Irish Red Cross as the lead agency in partnership with the ICRC and IFRC.

• Operates the Global Hub as an extension of the Irish Red Cross-National Community Based Health in Justice Program with the Irish Prison Service to promote the best practice model in Detention Authority partnership and Red Cross Movement Independent from Government departments
• Line management of Global Hub Grants Advisor

Training & knowledge exchange

• Designs and implements the three-stage Global Hub Community-Based Health in Detention training and development program through primary in-country training and assessment, Phase 1 online training, Phase 2 training and prison-based experience of country teams in Ireland, and Stage Three implementation support online.
• Fosters the exchange of knowledge and sharing of information through guiding documents, lessons learned, organisation of webinars, workshops, evidence-based practice, and research among national societies committed to enhancing the health and well-being of people deprived of their liberty, prison staff, and families while promoting a minimum standards approach.
• Facilitates CBHinD training events in Ireland and abroad as required
• Actively collaborates with the IFRC e-Community-Based Health in Detention program and the IFRC Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Centre in the Netherlands to coordinate Red Cross Movement mental health approaches in places of detention.

Representation & communicating evidence based practice

• Chairs the IRC Global Hub Community-Based Health in Detention Steering Committee meetings with the IRC, ICRC and IFRC quarterly and monthly update meetings with the ICRC Detention Officer
• Acts as the academic-Global Hub lead in University Collaboration and Research studies related to Community-Based Health in Detention, providing practicum student supervision for relevant studies with partner Universities.
• Actively engages in the writing and publication of detention health research from Community-Based Health in Detention activities in peer-reviewed journals to further the academic standing of the IRC Global Hub.
• Acknowledging the partnership roles identified within the MoU, ensure that the Global Hub remains grounded in the long and extensive Community-Based Health in Detention experience of the IRC Community Based Health in Justice and Irish Prison Service for continued credibility.
• In collaboration with the ICRC and IFRC, be a spokesperson at conferences to promote and disseminate the Irish Red Cross model of Community-Based Health in Detention as the Movement-wide approach to community-based health in detention through international forums within the Movement, International Health conferences, and Corrections events.
• Directs the content of the IRC Global Hub Community-Based Health in Detention website, which is linked to the IFRC and ICRC websites, to ensure that tools, lessons learned, and research are available globally.

Identify & engage with interested national societies and detaining authorities

• Proactively seeks out opportunities with national societies, their national health and detention authorities to adopt the Community-Based Health in Detention model to contribute to improved global detention health, well-being and protection.
• Ensure eligibility based on the IRC/ICRC/IFRC flow chart and guidance notes.
• Ensure guidance, training, relevant tools, and support to national societies, detaining authorities, and other stakeholders wishing to implement Community Based Health in Justice and Detention
• Ensures Global Hub supports to national societies and their public health counterparts in clinically related projects with relevant clinicians within the detention services and public health authorities.
• Undertake any other reasonable work-related duties and responsibilities assigned by the relevant line manager that are consistent with the nature of the job and level of responsibility.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential Criteria

• University degree to master’s level in Health-related field
• Recordable health qualifications (master’s in public health, International Health, Public Health Nursing)
• Experience in research methods and Action Research approaches to program management.
• Experience of inter-institutional coordination

Desirable Criteria

• Red Cross/Red Crescent Experience in community-based development programs
• Experience in detention operations and/or protection

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Irish Red Cross is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and aspire to reflect this in our workforce. We welcome applications for people from all community sections, irrespective of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, or membership of the Traveller community. This role requires applicants to have the right to work in Ireland.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for this role, please forward a copy of your CV, together with a cover letter setting out how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for this role, to cbhfajobs@redcross.ie

Your email should contain ‘ Global Hub for Community Based Health in Detention Manager’ in the subject line. Applications should be in .pdf or MS Word format, and with file names in the following format: <Surname>, <First name> - CV and <Surname>, <First name> - Cover Letter

The closing date for applications is COB 16th May 2025

Interview shortlisting will be based on the essential and desirable criteria for this role.

It is intended to hold initial interviews for this role during the week of May 19th 2025.

Applicants must hold the right to work in Ireland