Overview

Recovery Navigator Wales – Cardiff

Permanent

£24,000

**Please note you must have a full UK Driver’s license and access to your own vehicle. All candidates will be required to undergo prison security vetting and clearance checks before employment can be confirmed.**

The Recovery Navigator role sits within the Forward Trust’s Recovery Directorate as part of our dedicated Recovery Support Team. This team plays a vital role in helping people with substance use and complex needs to transition, thrive, and settle back into the community.

Using a person-centred approach, you will work directly with service users engaged in recovery pathways, supporting them to sustain and maintain recovery, build resilience, and reach their potential. You will also collaborate with partner agencies to ensure access to holistic, multidisciplinary services tailored to each individual’s needs.

In this Wales-based post, you will be embedded across HMP Swansea, HMP Cardiff, and HMP Prescoed, while maintaining close collaboration with the Camau Probation Service and community agencies. You will play a leading role in developing the Forward Connect community in Wales, ensuring smooth transitions for service users from custody, probation, and community treatment settings into sustainable recovery pathways.

As a Recovery Navigator, you will also:

  • Deliver interventions across varying complexity levels, including 1:1 and group sessions.
  • Facilitate and support Forward Trust’s online day programme.
  • Provide throughcare coordination to ensure continuity of support.
  • Embed cultural and linguistic awareness into all service delivery.
  • Support occasional out-of-office hours activity where needed.

 What We’re Looking For

We are seeking someone who is passionate about recovery and has the skills to support individuals facing complex challenges. You should have:

  • Knowledge of the criminal justice system and recovery agenda.
  • Strong understanding of abstinence-based recovery.
  • Experience assessing and supporting clients in recovery.
  • A background in substance misuse, treatment, or healthcare services.
  • Experience managing high caseloads and conducting risk assessments.
  • Skills in delivering 1:1 and group interventions, using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
  • Experience working with adults facing multiple disadvantages.
  • Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
  • Strong organisational, IT, and time management skills.
  • Understanding of GDPR, confidentiality, equal opportunities, and diversity.
  • Experience with event organisation and remote working.
  • Ability to obtain prison security clearance.
  • Ideally, you will be a Welsh speaker, or have a strong awareness of Welsh culture and the importance of providing services in the Welsh language.

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)
    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 here.  


    Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

    We recognise the importance of safeguarding, 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.

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    IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.