RECONNECT Peer Support Worker

Forward Trust; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Training & development

Health cashback scheme

Season ticket loan

Cycle to work

Wellbeing days

Blue Light Card

25 days annual leave (rising to 30)

Pension scheme

Death in Service

Critical Illness Insurance

Job summary

Forward Trust in Hertfordshire is recruiting a RECONNECT Peer Support Worker. Your lived experience will help people leaving prison reconnect with health and wellbeing support within custody at HMP The Mount and the wider community.

You will deliver a person-centred service, complete assessments, co-create care plans, and support service users for up to six months post-release. The role requires empathy, reliability and ability to work across custody and community settings.

Qualifications

• Lived experience aligned with EDI values.
• Strong communication, organisation and relationship-building skills.
• Confidence working across custody and community settings.
• Compassionate, collaborative and reliable approach.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a person-centred RECONNECT service in custody and the community.
• Complete assessments and co-produce tailored care plans.
• Support service users for up to 6 months post-release.
• Manage a varied caseload and coordinate with community services.
• Lead and support the prison Peer Support Programme.
• Recruit, train and support prison peer supporters.
• Build strong partnerships with prisons, healthcare and external agencies.
• Maintain accurate case notes, assessments and risk documentation.
• Support Meet & Greet and “Meet at the Gate” releases.

Skills

Lived experience

Communication skills

Organisation

Relationship-building

Custody & community work

Job description

RECONNECT Peer Support Worker

Location: Hertfordshire

Salary: £26,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Do you have lived experience of health challenges, substance use, or the criminal justice system, and want to use it to make a real difference?

Forward Trust’s NHS-commissioned RECONNECT service is looking for a passionate Peer Support Worker to help people leaving prison reconnect with vital health and wellbeing support.

This is a rewarding, frontline role where your experience, empathy and insight will help shape a truly person-centred service across HMP The Mount and the wider Hertfordshire community.

What you’ll do:

• Deliver a person-centred RECONNECT service in custody and the community
• Complete assessments and co-produce tailored care plans
• Support service users for up to 6 months post-release
• Manage a varied caseload and coordinate with community services
• Lead and support the prison Peer Support Programme
• Recruit, train and support prison peer supporters
• Build strong partnerships with prisons, healthcare and external agencies
• Maintain accurate case notes, assessments and risk documentation
• Support Meet & Greet and “Meet at the Gate” releases

What we’re looking for:

• Relevant lived experience aligned with our EDI values
• Strong communication, organisation and relationship-building skills
• Confidence working across custody and community settings
• A compassionate, collaborative and reliable approach

Be part of a values-led organisation making a real impact on health inequalities and successful reintegration.

Please note: Prison Vetting is required for this role which is managed by HMPPS & can take between 8-12 weeks to process.

Please see attached Job Description for full details

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
• 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.
• 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.