Outreach Inclusive Recovery Worker - Gillingham

Are you passionate about supporting people to overcome barriers and access the help they need? We're looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Outreach Inclusive Recovery Worker to join our team in Medway. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference by improving access to recovery services for people who may not traditionally engage with support, particularly those from Eastern European communities. If you're someone who enjoys building relationships, working within communities and empowering people to make positive changes, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role

As an Outreach Inclusive Recovery Worker, you'll be out in the community, connecting with people where they are. You'll work proactively to engage individuals who may face barriers to accessing treatment, helping them take the first steps towards recovery and improved well-being. You'll build trusted relationships with local communities, voluntary organisations and partner agencies, helping to reduce stigma and ensure everyone has equal access to the support they need. This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same. You'll balance outreach work with managing a caseload, delivering person-centred interventions and supporting people throughout their recovery journey.

What You'll Be Doing

• Deliver outreach activities across Medway, engaging with individuals and communities in a variety of settings.
• Build trusted relationships with underrepresented and migrant communities to improve access to support.
• Help reduce barriers such as stigma, language and lack of awareness of available services.
• Manage a caseload, completing assessments, recovery plans and harm reduction interventions.
• Provide tailored one-to-one support, empowering people to achieve their recovery goals.
• Develop strong partnerships with community organisations, voluntary groups and local stakeholders.
• Identify gaps in service provision and contribute ideas to make our services more inclusive and accessible.
• Maintain accurate records, manage risk appropriately and contribute to safeguarding responsibilities.

About You

You'll be a confident communicator who enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds and is passionate about improving health outcomes within local communities. You'll bring empathy, resilience and the ability to build trust with people who may have had limited engagement with support services.

We're Looking For Someone Who Has:

• Experience working in health, social care, community outreach or supporting people facing barriers to accessing services.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• An understanding of substance use, recovery and person-centred support.
• A commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and culturally responsive practice.
• The ability to work independently and build effective partnerships within local communities.

It Would Be Great If You Also Have:

• Experience working alongside Eastern European or other migrant communities.
• Outreach or community engagement experience.
• Lived experience of recovery or supporting someone through recovery (where you choose to share this).
• The ability to communicate in Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian or another Eastern European language (desirable but not essential).

Why Join Forward Trust?

At Forward Trust, you'll become part of a supportive and passionate team committed to helping people rebuild their lives. Every day you'll have the opportunity to make a genuine difference by helping people access life-changing support, reducing health inequalities and strengthening connections within local communities. If you're ready to use your skills to create lasting positive change, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today and help us build healthier, more inclusive communities across Medway.

Please see the 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.

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 3 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.

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.