Family Support Practitioner

Location : Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Salary: A GBP 24,000 : A GBP 28,000 per annum

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.

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.

What you will be doing?

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 1:1 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.

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.

What we are looking for

Service Delivery

We are looking for an employee who can provide both face:to:face and online 1:1 support to clients and their family members or affected others. This support will be offered in prisons and remotely. The role involves conducting needs and risk assessments, creating collaborative support plans, and leading 1:1 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 and networking with external organisations. The role also involves attending events to highlight the family work we do.

Outcome Monitoring, Evaluation, And Continuous Improvement

The employee will support the organisation by accurately reporting client and program outcomes, providing service delivery reports, and attending regular meetings. They will engage in family work audits, 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 organisations 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 Forwards policies and procedures, work with the highest regard for heal