Family and Relationships Practitioner

Forward Trust; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Cycle to work scheme

Simply Health Cashback Scheme

Pension scheme

Death in Service

Job summary

Forward Trust is seeking a compassionate Family and Relationships Practitioner to support clients in prison and local communities. You will deliver one-to-one and group interventions, help clients recognise healthy relationship patterns and strengthen family connections, while safeguarding and tailoring support to individual circumstances.

You will also directly support family members, promote whole-family recovery, and work with partner organisations to provide coordinated, holistic care.

Qualifications

• A genuine commitment to supporting people affected by addiction, offending, mental health challenges and complex family circumstances.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusting and professional relationships with clients and family members.
• An understanding of the importance of healthy relationships in recovery, rehabilitation and emotional wellbeing.
• The ability to support individuals in recognising unhelpful relationship patterns and developing healthier ways of relating to others.
• Experience of, or an interest in, delivering one-to‑one support, group interventions or structured programmes.
• A compassionate, non‑judgemental and person‑centred approach that recognises each individual’s circumstances and strengths.
• The ability to work sensitively with family members and affected others, recognising that they may have their own support needs and challenges.
• An understanding of the impact addiction, offending and mental health difficulties can have on individuals, children and family relationships.
• The ability to work effectively with children and young people where required, with a strong awareness of safeguarding and child welfare.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a varied workload across prison and community settings.
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and external agencies to ensure clients and families receive appropriate, coordinated support.
• A commitment to confidentiality, professional boundaries, safeguarding and maintaining the safety and wellbeing of everyone you support.
• A flexible and proactive approach, with a willingness to adapt interventions to meet individual needs.

Responsibilities

• Delivering specialist one-to‑one and group interventions to clients in your allocated prison and the local community.
• Supporting clients to understand the impact of relationships on their addiction, offending behaviour, mental health and overall wellbeing.
• Helping clients identify healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns and develop the skills needed to build and maintain positive relationships.
• Working with clients to strengthen family connections and develop healthier ways of communicating and interacting with others.
• Providing direct support to family members and affected others, helping them improve their own health, wellbeing and resilience.
• Helping families understand how they can support their loved ones to make positive changes while maintaining their own wellbeing and appropriate boundaries.
• Working with children and young people, where required, to support family relationships and promote whole‑family recovery and rehabilitation.
• Delivering interventions that respond to the individual needs, circumstances and goals of clients and their families.
• Working collaboratively with other Forward Trust staff and external partner organisations to provide a coordinated and holistic package of care.
• Building positive, professional relationships with clients and family members, creating a safe and supportive environment in which they can explore relationship challenges.
• Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and following relevant safeguarding procedures and organisational policies.
• Recording interventions, monitoring progress and contributing to the evaluation of support provided.
• Promoting the importance of positive relationships as part of recovery, rehabilitation and long‑term wellbeing.

Job description

Help people rebuild relationships, strengthen family connections and create lasting positive change.

Forward Trust is looking for a compassionate, motivated and skilled Family and Relationships Practitioner to join our Family Support and Specialist Programmes department.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to support people in prison and the local community, helping them understand the impact of relationships on their lives and develop healthier, more positive connections with the people who matter to them.

Relationships can play a significant role in a person’s recovery, rehabilitation and overall wellbeing. As a Family and Relationships Practitioner, you will deliver specialist one-to-one and group interventions to help clients recognise healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns, develop positive relationships and understand how their relationships may influence addiction, offending, mental health and other areas of need.

You will also provide direct support to family members and affected others, helping them improve their own health and wellbeing while supporting their loved ones to make positive changes. Where appropriate, you may work directly with children and young people to promote whole-family recovery and rehabilitation.

Working collaboratively with Forward Trust colleagues and external partners, you will help ensure clients and their families receive a coordinated, holistic package of support that meets their individual needs.

What you will be doing

• Delivering specialist one-to‑one and group interventions to clients in your allocated prison and the local community.
• Supporting clients to understand the impact of relationships on their addiction, offending behaviour, mental health and overall wellbeing.
• Helping clients identify healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns and develop the skills needed to build and maintain positive relationships.
• Working with clients to strengthen family connections and develop healthier ways of communicating and interacting with others.
• Providing direct support to family members and affected others, helping them improve their own health, wellbeing and resilience.
• Helping families understand how they can support their loved ones to make positive changes while maintaining their own wellbeing and appropriate boundaries.
• Working with children and young people, where required, to support family relationships and promote whole‑family recovery and rehabilitation.
• Delivering interventions that respond to the individual needs, circumstances and goals of clients and their families.
• Working collaboratively with other Forward Trust staff and external partner organisations to provide a coordinated and holistic package of care.
• Building positive, professional relationships with clients and family members, creating a safe and supportive environment in which they can explore relationship challenges.
• Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and following relevant safeguarding procedures and organisational policies.
• Recording interventions, monitoring progress and contributing to the evaluation of support provided.
• Promoting the importance of positive relationships as part of recovery, rehabilitation and long‑term wellbeing.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who is empathetic, approachable and committed to helping individuals and families make meaningful and lasting changes to their lives.

You will bring:

• A genuine commitment to supporting people affected by addiction, offending, mental health challenges and complex family circumstances.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusting and professional relationships with clients and family members.
• An understanding of the importance of healthy relationships in recovery, rehabilitation and emotional wellbeing.
• The ability to support individuals in recognising unhelpful relationship patterns and developing healthier ways of relating to others.
• Experience of, or an interest in, delivering one-to‑one support, group interventions or structured programmes.
• A compassionate, non‑judgemental and person‑centred approach that recognises each individual’s circumstances and strengths.
• The ability to work sensitively with family members and affected others, recognising that they may have their own support needs and challenges.
• An understanding of the impact addiction, offending and mental health difficulties can have on individuals, children and family relationships.
• The ability to work effectively with children and young people where required, with a strong awareness of safeguarding and child welfare.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a varied workload across prison and community settings.
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and external agencies to ensure clients and families receive appropriate, coordinated support.
• A commitment to confidentiality, professional boundaries, safeguarding and maintaining the safety and wellbeing of everyone you support.
• A flexible and proactive approach, with a willingness to adapt interventions to meet individual needs.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to individuals and families whose lives may have been affected by addiction, offending and other complex challenges.

As part of Forward Trust’s Family Support and Specialist Programmes department, you will contribute to work that recognises the vital role relationships play in recovery, rehabilitation and long‑term positive change.

By supporting clients to develop healthier relationships and helping family members strengthen their own wellbeing, you will help create the conditions for more positive outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

You will work alongside colleagues and partner organisations who share a commitment to providing effective, compassionate and coordinated support.

If you are passionate about strengthening relationships, supporting families and helping people build a more positive future, 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 -

• 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 [e-mail]
• 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 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.

09 Oct 2026