At a Glance
- Tasks: Support individuals in custody and their families to rebuild relationships and promote wellbeing.
- Company: Join The Forward Trust, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering change.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, training opportunities, and various employee schemes.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic role with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in people's lives while developing your skills in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in family support or social care is a plus, but passion and resilience matter most.
The predicted salary is between 26000 - 26000 £ per year.
Location: Sutton
Salary: £26,000 per annum
Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time
Closing Date: 29th of June 2026
We're looking for a Family Support Practitioner to join our team at HMP Highdown, working full time (35 hours per week). This is a frontline role where you'll support people in custody and their families across both the prison and local community, helping to rebuild relationships, strengthen wellbeing, and support long‑term recovery and rehabilitation. This role sits within the Family Support and Specialist Programmes department and focuses on delivering impactful 1:1 and group interventions. You'll help clients understand the role of relationships in addiction, offending, mental health, and wider life challenges, while also working directly with family members and affected others to improve their health, resilience, and ability to support positive change.
What you'll be doing:
- Delivering 1:1 support (face‑to‑face, online, and telephone) for clients and families
- Facilitating group programmes such as relationships work, parenting interventions, and structured recovery programmes
- Supporting and coordinating family meetings and family visits
- Completing needs and risk assessments, and co‑producing tailored support plans
- Working directly with children and young people where appropriate to support whole‑family recovery
- Signposting to specialist services and building strong referral pathways
You'll collaborate closely with prison‑based teams, substance misuse services, Forward colleagues, and external partners to ensure joined‑up, holistic support. You'll also play a key role in developing relationships with community organisations and raising awareness of the service.
What the role involves beyond delivery:
- Maintaining accurate case records and outcome data
- Supporting service improvement, audits, and feedback activity
- Contributing to programme development and co‑production work
- Upholding safeguarding, health and safety, and compliance standards at all times
- Managing your own caseload and working independently while meeting deadlines
What we're looking for:
Someone who is confident working with complexity, skilled at building trust, and passionate about helping people make lasting change. You'll need to be organised, reflective, and committed to safeguarding and professional boundaries. Experience in family support, criminal justice, substance misuse, or social care is highly desirable, but your ability to engage people, support relationships, and stay resilient in a challenging environment is what really matters. All prison‑based roles are subject to enhanced DBS checks and HMPPS security vetting. These checks can take up to 5 months 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.
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.
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
Family Support Practitioner : HMP Highdown in Sutton employer: TipTopJob
The Forward Trust is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and dynamic work environment for Family Support Practitioners at HMP Highdown in Sutton. With a strong focus on employee growth through training and development opportunities, our team is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and families affected by crime and addiction. Enjoy flexible working arrangements and a range of benefits, including health cashback schemes and eco-friendly transport options, all while contributing to a mission that empowers positive change in the community.
