Recovery Practitioner

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

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Training and development opportunities

Simply Health Cashback Scheme

Season Ticket Loan Scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Forward Trust in Swansea is seeking a Recovery Practitioner to support prisoners aged 18 and over within an integrated healthcare framework. You will manage your own caseload and provide high‑quality support throughout the treatment journey.

The role includes assessments, SMART care plans, harm reduction guidance, individual and group sessions, and evidence-based approaches such as motivational interviewing and CBT, working with partner agencies to ensure coordinated care and effective

Qualifications

• Compassionate and resilient approach to supporting people.
• Experience in mental health or substance misuse services preferred.
• Experience with SMART care plans and assessments.
• Strong IT skills and accurate record keeping.

Responsibilities

• Completing comprehensive assessments and developing SMART care plans.
• Providing harm reduction advice, information and guidance.
• Delivering structured one-to-one interventions and therapeutic group sessions.
• Delivering structured treatment programmes where relevant to the service.
• Using motivational interviewing, CBT and motivational counselling techniques.
• Supporting clients to engage with their recovery and make sustainable changes.
• Working with healthcare, probation and other partner agencies for coordinated care.
• Contributing to throughcare and resettlement activities and service targets.

Skills

Compassionate approach

Resilience

IT skills

Relationship building

Job description

Recovery Practitioner

Location: Swansea

Salary: £26,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

We are looking for a dedicated and compassionate Recovery Practitioner to join our team, working within an integrated healthcare framework to support prisoners aged 18 and over. Our services provide psychosocial drug and alcohol interventions and accredited treatment programmes for people entering prison who have been identified as experiencing problems with drugs and/or alcohol. We use a person‑centred approach, combining harm reduction and abstinence‑based interventions according to the individual needs and recovery goals of each client.

As a Recovery Practitioner, you will manage your own caseload and provide high‑quality support throughout a person's treatment journey. This will include:

• Completing comprehensive assessments and developing SMART care plans tailored to individual needs.
• Providing appropriate harm reduction advice, information and guidance.
• Delivering structured one‑to‑one interventions and therapeutic group sessions.
• Delivering structured treatment programmes where relevant to the service.
• Using evidence‑based approaches, including motivational interviewing, CBT and motivational counselling techniques.
• Supporting clients to engage with their recovery and make sustainable changes.
• Working collaboratively with healthcare, probation and other partner agencies to ensure effective and coordinated care.
• Supporting effective throughcare and resettlement by working with services including housing, employment, gym, transitional services and external drug intervention teams.
• Contributing to service targets and outcome measures set by Forward and local commissioners.

This is a rewarding role where you will have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to people affected by substance misuse, supporting them to develop the skills, confidence and resilience needed to move forward with their lives.

About You

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, resilient and committed to supporting people affected by substance misuse and related challenges. You will have the ability to build trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries and working effectively within a complex environment.

You will ideally have experience of working within mental health or substance misuse services, with a strong understanding of the issues faced by people experiencing drug and/or alcohol problems and low‑level mental health needs.

You will have experience of:

• Carrying out comprehensive assessments and developing and implementing SMART care plans.
• Delivering structured one‑to‑one interventions.
• Facilitating therapeutic groups.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques in both one‑to‑one and group settings.
• Applying CBT and motivational counselling skills.
• Working collaboratively with other professionals and partner agencies.
• Providing counselling or support to people affected by substance misuse, health and wellbeing needs and/or experience of the criminal justice system.
• Working within a prison setting would be advantageous.

You will also have:

• A good understanding of the Recovery Agenda.
• A thorough knowledge of, and commitment to, the 12‑step process of recovery from addiction.
• Previous experience of working within a 12‑step primary care programme, where applicable.
• Strong IT skills and the ability to maintain accurate records and use relevant systems effectively.

We recognise the value that lived experience can bring to our services. Personal experience of addiction and/or imprisonment may be considered where applicants meet the relevant requirements. For applicants with lived experience of addiction, a minimum of three years' recovery is required. For applicants with previous experience of imprisonment, a minimum of five years since release is required.

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 -

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

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.