About The Role
We are looking for a compassionate, motivated and experienced Family Support Practitioner to join our Family Support Team within the Prison setting.
This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of individuals and families affected by addiction, offending and mental health challenges. Working across an allocated prison and the local community, you will provide specialist support to clients and their family members through effective one-to-one interventions and group work.
At The Forward Trust, we recognise that relationships play a vital role in recovery, rehabilitation and long-term wellbeing. In this role, you will help clients understand the impact of relationships on their lives, recognise healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns, develop positive connections and explore how relationships can influence their addiction, offending behaviour and wider support needs.
You will also work directly with family members and affected others, helping them to improve their own health and wellbeing, develop coping strategies and understand how they can support their loved ones to make positive changes.
Where appropriate, you may also work with children and young people, promoting whole-family recovery and supporting stronger, healthier family relationships.
Working collaboratively with colleagues across The Forward Trust and external partner organisations, you will help ensure individuals and families receive a coordinated, holistic package of care and support.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Delivering specialist one-to-one and group interventions to clients and family members.
- Supporting individuals to recognise and develop healthy relationships and address relationship-related challenges.
- Providing direct support to families and affected others impacted by addiction, offending and mental health difficulties.
- Working with complex family dynamics and facilitating family meetings where appropriate.
- Supporting children and young people, where required, to promote whole-family recovery and rehabilitation.
- Building effective relationships with clients, families and external agencies to ensure coordinated support.
- Promoting safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of your work.
- Identifying individual and family needs and helping people access appropriate support and services.
- Contributing to the ongoing development and improvement of the service.
This is a varied and rewarding role where you will have the opportunity to empower individuals, strengthen family relationships and help create positive, lasting change.
About You
You will be an empathetic, resilient and approachable individual with a genuine passion for supporting people and families experiencing complex challenges.
You will have experience of working with individuals affected by addiction, offending and mental health difficulties, alongside an understanding of the impact these issues can have on family relationships and wider support networks.
You will be confident delivering one-to-one support and facilitating group interventions, with the ability to engage people from diverse backgrounds and build trusting, professional relationships.
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience providing family-related support to individuals affected by addiction, offending and mental health difficulties.
- Has experience supporting family members and affected others directly.
- Is confident working with complex families and facilitating family meetings.
- Has experience delivering group interventions and facilitating group work.
- Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and build rapport with a diverse client group.
- Can demonstrate a flexible and adaptable approach, responding positively to the changing needs of the service.
- Has a proactive, solution-focused approach and can quickly identify and respond to key issues.
- Understands the voluntary sector and the importance of partnership working.
- Demonstrates a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with sensitivity to the different needs and experiences of individuals and families.
- Has a good understanding of adult safeguarding and safeguarding responsibilities relating to children and young people.
Experience of supporting and implementing service improvements would also be advantageous.
Above all, you will believe in the importance of family relationships and recognise that supporting the people around someone can be just as important as supporting the individual themselves.
If you are passionate about helping individuals and families overcome challenges, rebuild relationships and achieve positive change, we would love to hear from you.
Join The Forward Trust and help us make a difference to individuals, families and communities.