About the role
Are you passionate about supporting people to make positive changes in their lives and build a future free from the impact of substance misuse? Do you have the skills and experience to help people navigate their recovery journey, overcome barriers and achieve lasting change?
As a Recovery Navigator at Forward, you will play a vital role in supporting adult male prison leavers and people serving community sentences through their recovery journey.
Working as part of a flexible, multi-disciplinary team across a cluster of community delivery sites in London, you will provide tailored, person-centred support to people with substance use needs, often alongside mental health difficulties and other complex challenges.
You will build trusting relationships, helping individuals develop motivation, access appropriate treatment and support services, and work towards meaningful and sustainable change.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Managing a varied caseload and completing comprehensive assessments to identify individual needs, risks and support requirements.
- Working collaboratively with individuals to develop SMART action plans that reflect their recovery goals and aspirations.
- Delivering structured one-to-one support, group work and virtual interventions using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
- Supporting people to access and engage with substance misuse treatment, healthcare and other relevant services.
- Providing practical assistance, guidance, advocacy and ongoing encouragement to help individuals overcome barriers to recovery.
- Maintaining accurate and up-to-date case records, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with organisational requirements.
- Working closely with probation staff, treatment providers and other partner agencies to ensure coordinated and effective support.
- Supporting individuals to achieve sustained recovery, reduce substance-related harm and minimise the risk of reoffending.
You will work across different levels of complexity, adapting your approach to meet changing needs and service demands. There may also be opportunities to develop specialist knowledge in particular areas, such as supporting vulnerable communities or individuals with specific needs, including chemsex.
Our approach is to complement, rather than duplicate, existing commissioned services. You will help individuals access and remain engaged with the support already available to them, providing continuity, motivation and practical assistance throughout their journey.
This is a predominantly Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm role, with some flexibility required to meet service needs and undertake occasional work outside the office. You may also be required to attend our Head Office for training.
About you
You will be a compassionate, motivated and resilient individual who is passionate about helping people overcome challenges and make positive changes in their lives.
You will understand the complexities of substance misuse and the challenges faced by people involved in the criminal justice system. You will be confident building relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those who may have experienced trauma, social exclusion and multiple disadvantages.
You will bring:
- Knowledge and experience of the criminal justice sector.
- Strong experience within substance misuse services, recovery support or a related field.
- Experience managing a high caseload, undertaking comprehensive and risk assessments, developing SMART action plans and maintaining accurate case records.
- Experience delivering one-to-one and group interventions using motivational techniques and trauma-informed approaches.
- Experience working alongside treatment providers, healthcare professionals and other support services.
- The ability to establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Strong partnership-working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with probation staff and external agencies.
- Excellent organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands and work towards targets.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage sensitively and professionally with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
- An understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, alongside a commitment to maintaining confidentiality and complying with GDPR requirements.
Above all, you will believe in people's ability to change, recognise the importance of building trust and be committed to supporting individuals to achieve positive and lasting outcomes.
If you are passionate about recovery, reducing reoffending and helping people rebuild their lives, we would love to hear from you.