Reconnect Peer Coordinator (Maternity Cover) - Fully Remote

About the Role

We're looking for a passionate RECONNECT Peer Coordinator to join our NHS-commissioned RECONNECT service on a maternity cover basis. This is an exciting opportunity to use your lived experience to help shape and support a service that makes a real difference to people leaving prison. RECONNECT supports people with identified health needs as they transition from custody back into the community, helping them access the healthcare, wellbeing and support services they need to build healthier, more stable futures.

As our Peer Coordinator, you'll lead and support a network of Peer Support Workers, Peer Mentors and Volunteers across custodial and community settings throughout the East of England. You'll recruit, train and supervise peers, helping them use their own lived experience to inspire and support others. Working closely with colleagues and partner organisations, you'll develop volunteering pathways, facilitate training and workshops, coordinate peer activities, and ensure accurate recording of service data. You'll also play an important role in embedding lived experience throughout the service and creating opportunities for peers to develop and progress within The Forward Trust. This is a varied and rewarding role where you'll build strong relationships with prisons, healthcare providers and community organisations, helping to deliver high-quality, person-centred support that improves health outcomes and reduces inequalities.

About You

We're looking for someone who believes in the power of lived experience and is passionate about supporting others to make positive, lasting change. You'll have lived experience of the criminal justice system, substance use, and/or physical or mental ill health, together with the confidence and resilience to use your experiences positively within a professional setting. You'll also have:

• Strong IT and administrative skills, with experience maintaining accurate records and databases.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with a wide range of people and partner organisations.
• The ability to motivate, encourage and support others to achieve their goals.
• A flexible, organised approach and the ability to manage a varied workload.
• A commitment to equality, inclusion and delivering person-centred services.
• The ability to represent The Forward Trust professionally and positively.

It would be an advantage if you have experience of working within mental health, substance misuse or wellbeing services, supervising peers or volunteers, facilitating groups, using motivational interviewing techniques, or working within the criminal justice sector, although these are not essential. If you're passionate about empowering others, championing lived experience and helping people move forward with their lives, we'd 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 as 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. 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.

To find out more about Forwards 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.