Supporting People on Probation Navigator – Norwich

Location: Norwich

Salary: £24,000 per annum

About The Role

At The Forward Trust, we believe that another life is possible.

Every day we support people to move beyond addiction, offending, and social exclusion, helping them build healthier, more fulfilling lives.

We’re looking for passionate, motivated individuals to join our team as a Supporting People on Probation Navigator in Norwich, working full time, 35 hours per week. In this role, you’ll help people on probation rebuild their futures, using your experience, skills, and ability to connect and inspire change.

You must be able to drive and travel across the Norfolk area, as travel between probation offices and HMP Norwich is essential.

You might come from probation, prisons, policing, psychology, counselling, education, health, social care, or community work. Or you may bring valuable life experience and transferable skills. What matters most is your ability to build trust, motivate others, and believe in their potential to turn their lives around.

The Role

As a Supporting People on Probation Navigator, you’ll work with adult men on probation to explore their lifestyle, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. You’ll support them to leave behind patterns that lead to offending and build positive relationships that help them move forward.

No two days are the same. You might be:

• Facilitating a group music intervention
• Supporting a community allotment project
• Meeting someone before they are released from prison
• Delivering 1-to-1 support for someone experiencing family breakdown
• Helping a service user access healthcare for the first time
• Finishing the day with a friendly game of football

You’ll work closely with Probation Practitioners to agree action plans and deliver interventions that form part of a service user’s sentence conditions. Every contact counts, so maintaining strong relationships, professionalism, and accurate records is key.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• A strong belief that people can change
• A genuine passion for supporting others to rebuild their lives
• The ability to build rapport and strong working relationships
• Experience or transferable skills in needs or risk assessment, action planning and support delivery, delivering 1-to-1 or group interventions, and safeguarding and record keeping
• Confidence working both independently and as part of a team
• Creativity, flexibility, and motivation to deliver high-quality support

Joining The Forward Trust means becoming part of a national charity delivering Commissioned Rehabilitative Services for HMPPS, supporting people across England and Wales to rebuild their lives.

You’ll work in a passionate, supportive team, have access to training and development opportunities, and be part of an organisation where 30% of staff have lived experience of addiction or offending. Most importantly, you’ll make a real difference every day, helping people move forward and create positive, fulfilling futures.

If you believe in second chances and want a role where your work truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

All probation-based roles are subject to enhanced DBS checks and HMPPS security vetting. These checks can take up to 6- 16 weeks 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.