Recovery Worker

Location: Sittingbourne

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 10th September 2025

As a Substance Misuse Practitioner, you will work within an integrated healthcare framework to support adults (18+) affected by alcohol or drug problems.

You will:

• Manage a caseload, providing assessments, care planning, and structured 1:1 and group sessions.
• Deliver harm reduction and abstinence-based treatment approaches according to individual client needs.
• Support clients in accessing holistic services including housing, employment, healthcare, probation, and CRCs.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies to ensure continuity of care.
• Contribute to local and organisational performance targets, including outcome measurement.
• Be flexible to travel across projects in your cluster as required.

This role offers the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives by supporting recovery and promoting long-term positive change.

What We’re Looking For

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Experience working within substance misuse services.
• Ability to carry out comprehensive assessments, risk management, and SMART care planning.
• Experience delivering structured interventions and facilitating groups.
• Proficiency in motivational interviewing techniques in both 1:1 and group settings.
• Strong IT skills and ability to work across multiple systems.
• Understanding of holistic care needs, continuity of care, and community service integration.
• Experience promoting and supporting equality and diversity.
• Knowledge of issues affecting people who misuse substances.
• Understanding of the Recovery Agenda.
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles.
• Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care (or equivalent).

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Knowledge and commitment to the 12 Step recovery process.
• Knowledge of community support services.
• Understanding of the criminal justice sector.
• Personal lived experience of addiction or imprisonment (in recovery: minimum 3 years abstinent; ex-prisoners: minimum 5 years since release).
• Experience working in community or prison settings.
• Familiarity with clinical supervision.
• Knowledge of NHS health and wellbeing outcomes.

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 Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.