Suffolk Reconnect Peer Support Worker

Suffolk Reconnect Peer Support Worker

Location: Suffolk

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent

About The Role

Are you passionate about supporting people to rebuild their lives?

We’re recruiting a Suffolk RECONNECT Peer Support Worker to join our NHS-commissioned service delivered by Forward Trust. This is a full-time role (35 hours per week) based across HMP Highpoint, HMP Hollesley Bay, and HMP Warren Hill, supporting people as they transition from custody back into the community.

This is a powerful opportunity to help individuals leaving prison rebuild their lives, improve their health and wellbeing, and break the cycle of reoffending.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be at the heart of a person-centred, life-changing service:

Supporting service users through holistic needs assessments and personalised care plans

Acting as a trusted link between prison, community services, and healthcare providers

Providing advocacy, mentoring, and practical support to help people reintegrate into society

Maintaining meaningful contact post-release (up to 6 months) to support sustained recovery and wellbeing

Managing a diverse caseload, ensuring tailored support for each individual

Building strong partnerships with prisons, healthcare services, and community organisations

Supporting peer mentors and contributing to training and development activity

Keeping accurate records, assessments, and case notes to a high professional standard

About you

We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience, whether of substance misuse, mental or physical health challenges, or the criminal justice system.

You’ll bring:

Empathy, resilience, and strong communication skills

A non-judgemental, person-centred approach

Confidence managing a busy and varied caseload

The ability to build trust and motivate positive change

Strong organisational and IT/admin skills

At Forward Trust, our purpose is clear: to break the cycle of crime. RECONNECT plays a vital role in ensuring people leaving prison don’t fall through the gaps, but instead step into coordinated, compassionate support.

You’ll help reduce health inequalities, improve continuity of care, and give people a real chance to rebuild their lives.

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.

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.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.