Family Support Practitioner

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise that empowers people to break the cycle of crime or addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 30 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

A whole family approach to treatment, recovery and rehabilitation is widely evidenced to improve outcomes for the people we work with. At the Forward Trust we define family as a group of 2 or more individuals whose relationship plays a significant role in their lives. We recognise the value and complexity of family and understand the potential positive and negative impact of relationships. We believe how a family is defined is up to the individuals within that system and that we all hold our own unique version of what family looks like.

Our family work aims to strengthen relationships and interpersonal connections, so every person feels safe, supported and valued by the people they surround themselves with.

Part of the Family Support and Specialist Programmes department, the Family Support Practitioner role will work in both their allocated prison and local community, providing specialist support to clients and family members through the delivery of effective 11 and group interventions. The role is also required to work closely with other Forward staff and external partners to ensure a holistic package of care and support is provided.

Recognising the importance of relationships in the lives of the people we support is crucial to providing the best possible treatment and services. This role will focus specifically on supporting clients to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships, build new relationships and understand the role relationships play in their addiction, offending, mental health and other areas of need.

The Family Support Practitioner will also directly support family members and affected others, helping them to improve their health and wellbeing and help them to support clients to make positive changes. This role may be expected to work directly with children and young people, to promote whole family recovery and rehabilitation.

Service Delivery

We are looking for an employee who can provide both face-to-face and online 11 support to clients and their family members or affected others. This support will be offered in prisons, the local community, and remotely via telephone and online for those outside the local area. The role involves conducting needs and risk assessments, creating collaborative support plans, and leading 11 support sessions focused on family and relationships. Additionally, the employee will facilitate group interventions, family meetings, and visits, and signpost clients and families to other appropriate support services.

Partnership Working

The ideal candidate will work closely with the substance misuse directorate and other Forward staff to deliver high-quality support. This includes providing specialist advice, networking with external organizations, and developing referral and signposting relationships with specialist services. The role also involves attending events to raise the profile of the organization and highlight the family work we do.

Outcome Monitoring, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement

The employee will support the organization by accurately reporting client and program outcomes, providing service delivery reports, and attending regular meetings. They will engage in family work audits, develop new interventions, gather feedback to improve programs, and participate in coproduction and consultation events. Meeting targets and participating in performance reviews are also essential.

Safeguarding

The candidate must follow the organization’s safeguarding policies and procedures, attend relevant training, and keep safeguarding knowledge up to date. They will identify, record, and report any safeguarding concerns and liaise with management and external bodies to support the safety of adults and children.

Health and Safety

The employee will abide by Forward’s policies and procedures, work with the highest regard for health, safety, and security, and ensure accurate information management. They will promote compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical responsibilities, use lone working systems appropriately, and report any issues to their line manager.

Administration and General

The role requires keeping accurate records, working autonomously, completing mandatory training, and attending meetings. The employee will continuously improve their knowledge through professional development opportunities, maintain professional boundaries, and ensure confidentiality.

Systems and Policy

The candidate will work towards Forward’s mission and values, adhere to organizational policies, and use IT programs and systems effectively.

Other

The role involves travel within the local area and taking on other reasonable tasks as deemed appropriate by the line manager.

• Training and development opportunities
• Flexible working
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (Optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
  
  
  

Family Support Practitioner JD1