Outreach Worker

Outreach Worker

Location: Medway

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 25th September 2025

We are looking for a compassionate and proactive Outreach Recovery Worker to join our team. In this role, you will engage with individuals living street-based lifestyles, including rough sleepers and those involved in begging, with the aim of connecting them to appropriate services and supporting them towards more settled, sustainable futures.

You will work collaboratively with clients and partner agencies to increase service user choice, involvement, and empowerment. By adopting a strengths-based approach, you will help individuals build personal resilience, develop supportive social networks, and access the care they need both in the UK and, where appropriate, in their country of origin.

This is a highly rewarding role for someone who is committed to tackling homelessness, substance misuse, and the complex needs faced by vulnerable individuals.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively engage with rough sleepers, beggars, and individuals living street-based lifestyles
• Support clients in accessing appropriate services and transitioning into more stable accommodation and lifestyles
• Empower service users to sustain positive change and take an active role in their recovery journey
• Deliver flexible, effective interventions to engage with hard-to-reach individuals
• Build on clients’ strengths, helping them establish personal resilience and social networks
• Work collaboratively with multiple agencies to ensure coordinated support and positive outcomes
• Maintain accurate records, reports, and administrative duties
• Uphold safeguarding responsibilities for children and vulnerable adults

Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Understanding of the needs of people experiencing rough sleeping and/or begging
• In-depth knowledge of at least one of the following:
• Substance misuse
• Alcohol misuse
• Mental health
• Awareness of the multiple and complex needs faced by vulnerable individuals
• Strong understanding of multi-agency working, with the ability to build effective partnerships
• Knowledge of safeguarding procedures for children and vulnerable adults
• Good administrative, recording, and reporting skills
• Commitment to professional boundaries and a strength-based, asset-building approach

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.

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.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.