Hostel In-Reach Recovery Worker

Forward Trust; Canterbury; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training & development

Health cashback scheme

Season ticket loan

Cycle to work scheme

Wellbeing days

Blue Light Card

Pension scheme

Death in service

Job summary

The Forward Trust is seeking a compassionate Hostel In-Reach Recovery Worker in Canterbury to support adults facing substance misuse and housing challenges. You will deliver trauma‑informed, person‑centred interventions, build trust and help access treatment, housing and community services to improve health and quality of life.

You will coordinate care with hostel staff, primary care and partner agencies, maintain records and monitor outcomes while working flexible hours, including some evenings

Qualifications

• Experience in substance misuse services with understanding of challenges faced by people affected by drug and alcohol use.
• Assessment and care planning skills, including risk management and SMART care plans.
• Experience delivering structured interventions to support engagement, recovery and behavioural change.
• Motivational interviewing skills used in one-to-one and group settings to encourage engagement and goal attainment.
• Group facilitation experience fostering inclusive, supportive environments.
• Knowledge of the Recovery Agenda and person-centred, recovery-focused practice.
• Understanding homelessness and rough sleeping within supported accommodation.
• Knowledge of holistic care and continuity of support with access to primary care and housing services.
• Strong partnership-working skills with hostel staff and external agencies.
• Good IT skills for records, interventions and performance reporting.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate care with hostel staff, housing support and primary care to ensure access to services.
• Promote continuity of care and monitor outcomes against targets.
• Complete comprehensive assessments and develop SMART care plans tailored to individuals.
• Deliver structured interventions to support engagement with treatment and recovery goals.

Skills

Substance misuse experience

Care planning

Structured interventions

Motivational interviewing

Group facilitation

Recovery Agenda

Homelessness awareness

Holistic care

Partnership working

IT skills

Equality & inclusion

Safeguarding

Job description

Are you passionate about supporting people to overcome barriers, engage with treatment and make positive changes in their lives? Do you want to make a real difference to individuals experiencing substance misuse, homelessness and multiple disadvantages?

We are looking for a compassionate and dedicated Hostel In-Reach Recovery Worker to join our team in Canterbury, supporting adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing drug and alcohol issues and living in supported accommodation.

Working within an integrated healthcare framework, you will provide tailored, flexible and person-centred support to individuals with complex needs who may face significant barriers to engaging with treatment and recovery services. You will manage a smaller caseload, allowing you to offer an enhanced level of support, build trusting relationships and help individuals access the services they need to improve their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

Using a trauma-informed approach, you will deliver structured interventions that encourage engagement with drug and alcohol treatment, support recovery goals and help individuals overcome barriers to accessing care. You will complete comprehensive assessments, develop risk management plans and implement SMART care plans tailored to each person's individual needs, strengths and aspirations.

A key part of your role will be coordinating care and promoting continuity of support. You will work closely with hostel staff, housing support workers, primary care services and other partner agencies to ensure individuals can access appropriate healthcare, treatment and wider community support. By building effective partnerships, you will help address the challenges associated with substance misuse and housing instability, supporting individuals to make meaningful progress towards recovery.

You will also contribute to achieving service targets set by Forward and local commissioners, ensuring that interventions are recorded accurately and outcomes are monitored effectively. Collaborative working will be essential to delivering a coordinated service and achieving positive outcomes for the people you support.

This is an opportunity to work directly with individuals who may have experienced trauma, exclusion and difficulties engaging with traditional services, helping them feel heard, supported and empowered to take steps towards a healthier and more stable future.

Flexibility is required, including occasional evening and weekend shifts and, with reasonable notice, travel to other projects within your cluster to support service delivery and ensure continuity of care.

About You

You will be a compassionate, proactive and resilient practitioner with experience working in substance misuse services and a genuine commitment to supporting people experiencing homelessness, rough sleeping or multiple disadvantages.

You will understand that recovery is different for everyone and be confident building trusting relationships with individuals who may be reluctant to engage with services or face complex barriers to accessing support. You will take a non-judgemental, trauma-informed approach, working collaboratively with service users to identify their needs, set achievable goals and support them to make positive changes.

You will also have:

• Experience in substance misuse services, with an understanding of the challenges faced by people affected by drug and alcohol use.
• Assessment and care planning skills, including experience of completing comprehensive assessments, developing risk management plans and designing and implementing SMART care plans.
• Experience delivering structured interventions to support engagement, recovery and positive behavioural change.
• Motivational interviewing skills, with experience using these techniques in both one-to-one and group settings to encourage engagement and help individuals work towards their goals.
• Group facilitation experience, with the ability to create inclusive and supportive environments that encourage participation.
• Knowledge of the Recovery Agenda, with an understanding of person-centred, recovery-focused practice and the importance of empowering individuals to take an active role in their recovery.
• An understanding of homelessness and rough sleeping, including the complex needs and barriers faced by people living in supported accommodation.
• Knowledge of holistic care and continuity of support, including the ability to coordinate care and facilitate access to primary healthcare, housing support and wider community services.
• Strong partnership-working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with hostel staff, healthcare professionals and other agencies to improve outcomes for service users.
• Good IT skills, including the ability to maintain accurate records, document interventions and contribute to performance monitoring and outcome reporting.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, including an understanding of your responsibilities in identifying, responding to and reporting safeguarding concerns.

Above all, you will be someone who believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to access support and work towards recovery, regardless of their circumstances. You will be patient, adaptable and committed to helping individuals overcome barriers, engage with treatment and build a more positive future.

If you are passionate about recovery, reducing health inequalities and supporting people experiencing substance misuse and homelessness to achieve meaningful change, 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.