Overview

Dependency and Recovery Team Leader – London Prisons – London

Permanent

£30,082

We are seeking an experienced Team Leader to oversee the delivery of the Dependency & Recovery Services across a cluster of London prisons. This is a vital role in ensuring continuity of care for service users as they transition from custody into the community, bridging the gap between prison, probation, and community substance misuse services.

You will lead and support a team of Prison Link Workers, who provide enhanced support to adult male clients, including “meet and greet” on release, accompanying clients to probation and treatment appointments, and ensuring they remain engaged with recovery pathways. Working in partnership with prison substance misuse teams and probation colleagues, you will manage risk, build strong relationships, and help ensure smooth reintegration into the community.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of Prison Link Workers to deliver high-quality, person-centred support.
  • Allocate referrals, oversee caseloads, and personally manage a small number of complex cases.
  • Promote and embed the service within prison settings, building strong relationships with prison substance misuse teams, offender managers, and probation colleagues.
  • Ensure performance targets and contract volumes are achieved, supporting the Service Manager with data accuracy and reporting.
  • Represent Forward Trust professionally with prisons, probation delivery units, partners, stakeholders, and service users.
  • Deputise for the Service Manager when required, ensuring smooth service delivery and problem-solving issues as they arise.
  • Maintain excellent records, ensuring compliance with procedures, policies, and safeguarding responsibilities.
  • Support the recruitment, retention, and development of staff to sustain high-quality service delivery.

Essential Criteria

  • Demonstrable experience managing teams, including performance management and staff development.
  • Proven experience motivating and developing people in a challenging environment.
  • Experience of managing high caseloads, risk assessments, SMART action planning, and case recording.
  • Strong relationship management skills, both internally and externally.
  • Knowledge of the criminal justice sector and the challenges facing service users.
  • Experience implementing formal policies and procedures.
  • Excellent problem-solving, negotiation, project management, and time management skills.
  •  Strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion
**Full prison vetting clearance will be required.**
 

About You
You are a resilient, people-focused leader who thrives in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. With a genuine interest in supporting recovery and rehabilitation, you bring excellent communication skills, the ability to build trust quickly, and the organisational skills to manage competing demands.

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
  • 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)
    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.

    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.  


    Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

    We recognise the importance of safeguarding, 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.

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