Overview
RECONNECT Worker- Norfolk – Norfolk
Permanent
£24,000
Locations: HMP Wayland, HMP Norwich, HMP Bure (with some remote working)
Forward Trust is a leading provider of health, wellbeing, and substance misuse services across prisons and the community. We believe in empowering individuals to build positive, sustainable futures. Our RECONNECT service supports people leaving prison to access and sustain health, wellbeing, and community services. We provide advice, mentoring, signposting, GP referrals, and aftercare support, ensuring continuity of care and a smooth transition back into the community.
As a RECONNECT Worker, you will deliver a comprehensive, inclusive, and person-centred service to individuals preparing for release from prison. Starting 12 weeks prior to release, you will assess service users’ needs, co-create bespoke care plans, and ensure they are fully connected to local support networks post-release.
Key Responsibilities
- Process referrals and update referrers on assessment outcomes.
- Conduct in-depth needs assessments for all suitable referrals.
- Create robust, SMART care plans in partnership with service users and external agencies.
- Maintain contact and provide support up to 6 months post-release.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with external agencies, stakeholders, and partners.
- Ensure referral pathways are clear and effective (including Offender Management in Custody, Healthcare, and family/self-referrals).
- Facilitate safe delivery of holistic services, meeting both individual and team targets.
- Share best practice and fully engage with risk assessment and safeguarding processes.
- Support service users to access physical health, mental health, and wider wellbeing services in the community.
About You
Essential Skills & Experience
- Experience of carrying out comprehensive assessments and creating SMART care plans.
- Experience of delivering structured 1:1 interventions to service users.
- Skilled in motivational interviewing techniques.
- Strong IT skills to support project management and case recording.
- Flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the service.
- Ability to represent Forward Trust professionally with internal and external stakeholders.
Desirable
- Experience of facilitating groups.
About Us
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)
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
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.
