Supporting People on Probation Navigator

The Forward Trust; Littlehampton; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Training and development opportunities

Pension scheme

Season Ticket Loan

Job summary

The Forward Trust is seeking a passionate Supporting People on Probation Navigator to work across Sussex, including Brighton, Hastings, Worthing, Crawley and Littlehampton. You will provide 1:1 and group support to help people rebuild their lives after offending, with a focus on building trust and guiding service connections.

Travel between locations and flexible base location are expected as part of the role.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting people to rebuild their lives.
• Ability to build trust and maintain consistency.
• Willingness to travel across locations and work flexibly.

Responsibilities

• Supporting people to understand their behaviour, relationships, and wellbeing
• Delivering 1:1 support and group interventions (mainly in-person, some virtual)
• Helping individuals reconnect with family, community, and services
• Working closely with Probation Practitioners on structured action plans
• Supporting people through complex challenges including mental health and social exclusion
• Taking part in prison pre-release meetings to community projects and sport sessions

Skills

Empathy & rapport-building

Relationship-building

Communication skills

Flexible / adaptable

Travel readiness

Job description

We're looking for a passionate, people-focused individual to join our Supporting People on Probation Team in Sussex as a Supporting People on Probation Navigator. You'll be based across Sussex (including Brighton, Hastings, Worthing, Crawley, and Littlehampton), working full time 35 hours per week with flexibility around your base location. This is meaningful, hands-on work supporting people to rebuild their lives after offending. If you believe in second chances, real change, and the power of strong relationships, this role is for you. You might come from probation, prisons, police, or courts. Or from psychology, counselling, social work, education, health, social prescribing, or bring transferable life experience that helps you connect with others. What matters most is your ability to build trust, stay consistent, and genuinely want to make a difference.

What you’ll be doing

• Supporting people to understand their behaviour, relationships, and wellbeing
• Delivering 1:1 support and group interventions (mainly in-person, some virtual)
• Helping individuals reconnect with family, community, and services
• Working closely with Probation Practitioners on structured action plans
• Supporting people through complex challenges including mental health and social exclusion
• Taking part in everything from prison pre-release meetings to community projects and sport sessions

A full UK driving licence is desirable due to regular travel between locations., We believe in progression, purpose, and people, backed by training, development, and a strong support network. If you're ready to help people turn their lives around, and build a career that truly matters, this could be your next step. Please see attached Job Description for full details All probation-based roles are subject to enhanced DBS checks and HMPPS security vetting. These checks can take up to 6- 16 weeks to complete. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon the successful completion of both checks. Please note if you have lived overseas within the last 5 years then checks may take longer.

We're seeking people who are:

• Passionate about helping others change and move forward
• Skilled at building strong, trusting relationships
• Confident delivering structured support and recording work accurately
• Able to work safely, independently, and as part of a team
• Creative, flexible, and collaborative in their approach
• Motivated to meet targets and deliver high-quality support

You’ll be part of Forward Trust, a leading charity delivering national rehabilitation services. Our teams are diverse, with 30% of staff bringing lived experience of addiction or offending, creating authentic and impactful support. 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
• 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.

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. 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 . 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.