Health and Well-Being Practitioner - HMP Downview

Are you looking for a meaningful career that helps others break the cycle of addiction and live a positive life? The impact you will have in this role is far more reaching than the day to day contact with service users, the service we provide reverberates through families and society

The Forward Trust, are a UK leading provider of drug and alcohol treatment services to offenders. We deliver treatment and recovery support – in prisons and in the community – which helps people move away from addiction and crime. These services provide a variety of support, including advice, counselling, group work and intensive treatment. At The Forward Trust we believe that all people who are addicted to or misusing substances should have access to support which is effective in protecting their health, and motivating them to take steps towards their own recovery. Over 20 years of pursuing this mission, we have been successful in moving thousands of drug dependent offenders away from a lifestyle revolving around crime, and drug or alcohol dependence.

We believe and are committed to providing opportunities to all people including those with ‘Lived Experience’ we encourage applications from all background including those in recovery from addiction, co-dependency or gambling, have experience of previous offending or homelessness.

You will be working within an integrated healthcare framework to provide support to prisoners aged 18 and over. The team have a broad skills mix to deliver combined psychosocial and clinical interventions promoting holistic recovery and health and wellbeing to prisoners. This might include working with low-level mental health needs and/or substance misuse issues.

Day to day you will be responsible for managing a caseload, providing appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, assessments, and care plans; You will deliver structured 1:1 and group-work sessions for both Substance Misuse and Low Level Mental Health service users and provide transitional support from prison to the community to prepare service users for release. 

• Carry out assessments risk/initial/comprehensive assessments to inform treatment journeys 
• Carry out interventions relevant to individual client needs, including 1:1 sessions and group work/programme facilitation
• Facilitate substance misuse and mental health groups, and Wellbeing and Recovery programmes to the standard required
• Support service users by developing appropriate release plans with them 
• Support clinical services by carrying out second signatory duties

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a Health or Justice setting. The skills listed below are desirable but not essential as we offer a robust training and induction programme. 

• Knowledge of the issues facing substance misusers and low-level mental health issues
• Demonstratable experience of carrying out risk assessments, comprehensive assessments and the design and implementation os SMART care plans.
• Significant experience of carrying out psychosocial interventions including using motivational interviewing techniques in both 1:1 and therapeutic group settings.
• A thorough knowledge of and commitment to the 12-step process of recovery from addiction.
• Experience of providing counselling / CBT services to prisoners, or those with Health and Welling, or drug and / or alcohol problems

Alongside Simply Health coverage, and a contributory pension scheme to assist employees with their general health and well-being. We offer:

• Season Ticket Loan Scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 3 x wellbeing days in addition to annual leave allowance
• Simply Health scheme
• Therapy allowance (£90 per month for frontline staff)
• 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).

Health and Wellbeing Practitioner - Job Description (Downview)

Please note we reserve the right to close this role early*