Overview

Family Connection Worker – Crewe – Crewe

Permanent

£26,000

The Connections Service sits within Forward’s Substance Misuse Directorate and plays a vital role in supporting the families and significant others of people affected by substance misuse.

We know from our own research, client focus groups and more than 10 years’ experience of family support that addiction can have a profound impact on the people around the individual. Families can often feel confused about addiction and treatment, helpless about what they can do to support their loved one, and isolated when that person is in prison or receiving treatment in the community.

The Connections Service exists to change that.

As part of this role, you will help ensure that families and Concerned Significant Others (CSOs) have access to the right information, advice and support at the right time. You will work alongside clients, colleagues and partner organisations to develop meaningful family interventions that complement individual treatment and recovery journeys.

Our approach recognises that clients and their families need separate, distinct pathways of support, while also creating opportunities for those pathways to come together where appropriate and beneficial. You will therefore have an important role in identifying family needs and helping to deliver effective interventions across both prison and community settings.

You will also contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of family work across the organisation. This will include supporting service improvements, monitoring outcomes, collecting and analysing information, and contributing to audit, research and reporting activity.

Ultimately, this is a role where your work can make a genuine difference — helping families better understand substance misuse, strengthening relationships and enabling families to play a positive and informed role in ongoing recovery.

About You

We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting families affected by substance misuse and who can build trusting, effective relationships with clients and their families.

You will have experience of providing support to families and dealing sensitively with family-related issues that may affect people accessing prison or community services. You will be confident working with a diverse client group and able to respond sensitively to different backgrounds, experiences and needs.

You will bring:

  • Experience of supporting families and addressing family-related issues within prison and/or community services.
  • The flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the service as it develops.
  • A positive, solution-focused approach, with the ability to identify key issues quickly and clearly.
  • Strong negotiating, influencing and communication skills.
  • Experience of developing and implementing service improvements.
  • The ability to engage effectively and sensitively with people affected by substance misuse.
  • An understanding of the voluntary sector and the contribution it can make to recovery and wellbeing.
  • A strong understanding of, and sensitivity to, diversity and equality issues.
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and databases.
  • An understanding of a range of substance misuse treatment approaches, including the 12-step model.
  • Knowledge and experience of using database monitoring systems.
  • Experience of overseeing the collection, recording and collation of information, including statistical data, for audit, research and reporting purposes.
  • A thorough understanding of service-user-led support groups and the important role they can play in maintaining ongoing recovery.

Above all, you will be someone who believes that recovery is stronger when families and significant others are supported, informed and included.

If you are compassionate, proactive and committed to improving outcomes for individuals and the people who matter to them, 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 recruitment@forwardtrust.org.uk 
  • 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 3 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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