Family Support Practitioner : HMP Highdown

About The Role

Location:

Sutton

Salary: A GBP 26,000 per annum

Vacancy Type:
Permanent

We’re looking for a Family Support Practitioner to join our team at HMP Highdown, working full time (35 hours per week). This frontline role supports 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. Delivered within the Family Support and Specialist Programmes department, the role focuses on impactful 1:1 and group interventions, helping clients understand the role of relationships in addiction, offending, mental health, and wider life challenges while working directly with family members and affected others.

• Deliver 1:1 support (face‑to‑face, online, and telephone) for clients and families
• Facilitate group programmes such as relationships work, parenting interventions, and structured recovery programmes
• Support and coordinate family meetings and visits
• Complete needs and risk assessments and co‑produce tailored support plans
• Work directly with children and young people where appropriate to support whole‑family recovery
• Signpost to specialist services and build strong referral pathways

• Maintain accurate case records and outcome data
• Support service improvement, audits, and feedback activity
• Contribute to programme development and co‑production work
• Uphold safeguarding, health and safety, and compliance standards at all times
• Manage your own caseload and work independently while meeting deadlines

Someone confident working with complexity, skilled at building trust, and passionate about helping people make lasting change. Must 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 the ability to engage people, support relationships, and stay resilient in a challenging environment is what truly 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.

We are The Forward Trust, a social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For over 25 years we have worked with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past.

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• BHSF Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro‑rated)