Family Counsellor

Location: Salford

Family Counsellor

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Job Title:

Safe Ground Family Counsellor

Location:

Based within HMP Forest Bank, Greater Manchester. You may be expected to travel to other services as required, including to Central London Central Office, HMP Altcourse and for in-person meetings held off site. Hybrid working is permitted with an option of up to 2 days working from home when appropriate. Step Free access is not available at this service.

Salary: £36,000

Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday 07:30 - 17:30. You may be required to work outside these hours as per service and organisational requirements, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays and forming part of the out of hours on call rota for managers.

About the Role

We’re hiring a Safe Ground Family Counsellor to support men in custody at HMP Forest Bank, located in Manchester.

As a Family Counsellor, you will identify the needs of men and their families in custody , providing anti-punitive, anti-shame, tailored support to maintain and grow family ties for individuals whilst in custody . You will deliver person centred therapeutic support through group, one-to-one and triage sessions, helping participants improve relationships, develop emotional awareness, and build healthier communication. The role includes family counselling clinics, group programme support, and joint work with prison teams and external partners.

You will work in a trauma-informed way to support rehabilitation and strengthen family connections. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.

Key Responsibilities Include:

* Support men who may be facing challenges with family relationships, father-child contact, emotional regulation, trauma, communication difficulties and maintaining positive relationships during custody

* Deliver group and one-to-one counselling sessions, as well as facilitating family counselling clinics

* Support full time delivery of programmes such as Fathers Inside and Man Up, which have received national recognition and are delivered across custodial and community settings

* Create and maintain tailored support plans

* Work with prison teams and external partners to coordinate support

* Bespoke training and active learning will be provided

* Support participants to improve relationships and emotional regulation

* Monitor wellbeing and respond to safeguarding concerns

* Maintain accurate records on internal systems

* Lone working as part of a wider team

About You

We’re looking for a compassionate and motivated individual who understands the needs of men in custody, the importance of anti-shame and anti-punitive practice in these systems, and the importance of family relationships in supporting rehabilitation. You will be comfortable working in a custodial environment and able to build trust with individuals from a range of backgrounds. You will be proactive in managing your workload, able to adapt within a busy service, and confident working both independently and as part of a wider team, often challenging prison cultures.

You will be keen to support men in custody to achieve their individual goals and support them to be the best versions of themselves.

* Experience supporting people with trauma, relationship challenges, or within the criminal justice system with BACP registration or equivalent professional accreditation

* Ability to engage with people from different backgrounds, build rapport and support them to achieve their personal goals

* Ability to show empathy and understanding of the challenges people face and adapt approaches to meet individual needs

* Confidence delivering both one-to-one and group-based support

* Ability to work collaboratively with a range of professionals and services, often challenging punitive approaches

* Ability to use, learn and adapt to IT at an intermediate level, including Microsoft and other software programs

* Ability and…