Overview

Housing Interventions Worker – South Wales

Permanent

£26,000

Are you passionate about preventing homelessness, reducing reoffending and helping people build positive futures?

If you are a compassionate, experienced and solutions-focused individual who wants to make a real difference to people facing multiple disadvantages, this could be the role for you.

Camau is commissioned by HMPPS and delivered by Forward Trust across Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed Powys. The service provides housing-focused interventions to people in custody and in the community, helping them prepare for release, secure safe and sustainable accommodation, and develop the skills and stability they need to move forward.

About the role

As a Housing Interventions Worker, you will provide practical, person-centred housing interventions to people in custody and on probation. You will work alongside individuals to understand their circumstances, identify housing needs and barriers, and develop realistic plans to help them secure and sustain suitable accommodation.

You will build positive and purposeful relationships with the people you support, helping them navigate housing and welfare systems and access the services they need. You will also work closely with prison, probation, local authority and housing colleagues to achieve positive housing outcomes and reduce the risk of homelessness.

Your responsibilities will include:

  • Completing housing needs assessments and identifying appropriate interventions.
  • Developing and reviewing individual action plans focused on securing and maintaining accommodation.
  • Providing housing and welfare benefits advice and practical support.
  • Supporting people to address barriers to securing accommodation.
  • Working with local authorities, landlords, letting agents and accommodation providers to identify and secure suitable housing.
  • Advocating on behalf of service users where appropriate.
  • Supporting individuals to prepare for release and make the transition from custody into the community.
  • Providing through-the-gate housing interventions where required.
  • Working collaboratively with prison, probation and other partner agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to support.
  • Helping to prevent homelessness and improve housing stability.
  • Supporting people to develop the confidence, knowledge and practical skills needed to sustain their accommodation.

This is a varied and rewarding role where your interventions can have a lasting impact. By helping people secure a safe place to live, you will play an important role in supporting rehabilitation, reducing reoffending and helping people build more stable and positive futures.

About you

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, proactive, resilient and solutions-focused, with a genuine commitment to supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantages.

You will have:

  • Good knowledge of housing and welfare benefits.
  • Experience providing housing, welfare benefits or related advice and interventions.
  • Experience assessing adults with housing, social or other support needs.
  • Experience developing and reviewing support or action plans.
  • An understanding of the needs and challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness, substance use, mental ill health or other complex needs.
  • Experience working effectively with people experiencing multiple disadvantages, including homelessness and unemployment.
  • Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage people who may have experienced significant barriers or challenges.
  • The ability to work collaboratively with a range of partner agencies and professionals.
  • A practical and creative approach to problem-solving, with the ability to identify opportunities and find solutions to complex housing issues.

Locations

We have opportunities available across a number of locations:

  • HMP Parc
  • HMP Parc & Swansea
  • Cardiff
  • Cardiff & The Vale
  • Gwent: Blaenau Gwent, Ebbw Vale, HMP Prescoed and HMP Usk

Your primary location will depend on the specific vacancy. The role may involve working across different establishments and providing support in the community, including through-the-gate interventions.

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
  • Support for Families – We support our employees through every stage of family life by offering enhanced maternity and paternity pay for eligible employees who have completed 26 weeks’ continuous service, alongside family-friendly policies and a supportive, inclusive workplace. If you’d like more information about our family-friendly benefits, please contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment@forwardtrust.org.uk 
  • 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.
    Please note that remote roles may require occasional travel for site visits, training and meetings.
     
    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. Some of our roles may require a minimum period of sustained recovery (normally around 3 years). This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and exceptions may be considered depending on the role and individual circumstances.

    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.  

    We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.
     
    Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work
    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.

    Our Commitment to Safeguarding
    We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.

    To apply for this job please visit careers.forwardtrust.org.uk.