• Careers Site Advertising End DateAdvertising End Date:
    30 Oct 2026
  • Internal Advertising End DateInternal Advertising End Date:
    30 Oct 2026
  • All LocationsAll Locations:
    Swansea
  • All DepartmentsAll Departments:
    Recovery Support
  • Vacancy TypeVacancy Type:
    Permanent
  • Advertising SalarySalary Details:
    £26,000
  • Directorate:
    Prisons
  • About The Role

  • Are you passionate about supporting people to make positive and lasting changes in their lives?

    We are looking for a dedicated and compassionate Recovery Practitioner to join our team, working within an integrated healthcare framework to support prisoners aged 18 and over.

    Our services provide psychosocial drug and alcohol interventions and accredited treatment programmes for people entering prison who have been identified as experiencing problems with drugs and/or alcohol. We use a person-centred approach, combining harm reduction and abstinence-based interventions according to the individual needs and recovery goals of each client.

    As a Recovery Practitioner, you will manage your own caseload and provide high-quality support throughout a person's treatment journey. This will include:

    • Completing comprehensive assessments and developing SMART care plans tailored to individual needs.
    • Providing appropriate harm reduction advice, information and guidance.
    • Delivering structured one-to-one interventions and therapeutic group sessions.
    • Delivering structured treatment programmes where relevant to the service.
    • Using evidence-based approaches, including motivational interviewing, CBT and motivational counselling techniques.
    • Supporting clients to engage with their recovery and make sustainable changes.
    • Working collaboratively with healthcare, probation and other partner agencies to ensure effective and coordinated care.
    • Supporting effective throughcare and resettlement by working with services including housing, employment, gym, transitional services and external drug intervention teams.
    • Contributing to service targets and outcome measures set by Forward and local commissioners.
    • Building positive and cooperative working relationships with partner agencies to support positive outcomes for clients.
    • Maintaining accurate and timely records in line with organisational and service requirements.
    • Working flexibly across other projects within your cluster when required, helping to ensure continuity of care for the people we support.

    This is a rewarding role where you will have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to people affected by substance misuse, supporting them to develop the skills, confidence and resilience needed to move forward with their lives.

    About You

    We are looking for someone who is compassionate, resilient and committed to supporting people affected by substance misuse and related challenges. You will have the ability to build trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries and working effectively within a complex environment.

    You will ideally have experience of working within mental health or substance misuse services, with a strong understanding of the issues faced by people experiencing drug and/or alcohol problems and low-level mental health needs.

    You will have experience of:

    • Carrying out comprehensive assessments and developing and implementing SMART care plans.
    • Delivering structured one-to-one interventions.
    • Facilitating therapeutic groups.
    • Using motivational interviewing techniques in both one-to-one and group settings.
    • Applying CBT and motivational counselling skills.
    • Working collaboratively with other professionals and partner agencies.
    • Providing counselling or support to people affected by substance misuse, health and wellbeing needs and/or experience of the criminal justice system.
    • Working within a prison setting would be advantageous.

    You will also have:

    • A good understanding of the Recovery Agenda.
    • A thorough knowledge of, and commitment to, the 12-step process of recovery from addiction.
    • Previous experience of working within a 12-step primary care programme, where applicable.
    • Strong IT skills and the ability to maintain accurate records and use relevant systems effectively.
    • The ability to work flexibly and adapt to the changing needs of the service.
    • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with clients, colleagues and external agencies.
    • A commitment to person-centred, recovery-focused practice.
    •  Welsh language skills: Fluency in Welsh is desirable for this role.

    We recognise the value that lived experience can bring to our services. Personal experience of addiction and/or imprisonment may be considered where applicants meet the relevant requirements. For applicants with lived experience of addiction, a minimum of three years' recovery is required. For applicants with previous experience of imprisonment, a minimum of five years since release is required.

    If you are passionate about helping people overcome barriers, engage in recovery and build a more positive future, we would love to hear from you.

  • About Us

  • We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 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.

    We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits - 
    •  Flexible working
    • Support for Families – We support our employees through every stage of family life by offering enhanced maternity and paternity pay for eligible employees who have completed 26 weeks' continuous service, alongside family-friendly policies and a supportive, inclusive workplace. If you'd like more information about our family-friendly benefits, please contact our Recruitment Team at [email protected] 
    • Training and development opportunities
      • 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)
      Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
      Please note that remote roles may require occasional travel for site visits, training and meetings.
       
      Diversity at Forward Trust
      The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness. Some of our roles may require a minimum period of sustained recovery (normally around  years). This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and exceptions may be considered depending on the role and individual circumstances.

      When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

      To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here.  

      We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.
       
      Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work
      Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

      If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.
      Our Commitment to Safeguarding
      We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.

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