Complex Needs Recovery Worker - Thurrock

Location: Thurrock

Salary: £25,000 – £28,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent

About The Role

Are you passionate about making a real difference in people’s lives?

The Forward Trust is looking for a Complex Needs Drug & Alcohol Recovery Worker to join our innovative Thurrock service. This is a full-time role (35 hours/week) and requires a car to support outreach across the community.

You’ll be supporting individuals facing overlapping challenges including substance misuse, mental illness, homelessness, trauma, domestic abuse, offending, and learning disabilities. Using a trauma-informed, harm reduction approach, you’ll guide people safely through detox and rehabilitation pathways, advocate for them across multiple systems, and deliver training to local professionals.

What you’ll do:

Manage a caseload of complex-need clients, including hard-to-reach individuals and those with learning disabilities.

Support people in refuges, hostels, supported accommodation, and community settings.

Deliver harm reduction interventions, structured support, and drug & alcohol awareness training.

Navigate individuals safely through Tier 4 detox and residential rehab pathways.

Represent Forward Trust at stakeholder events and multi-agency meetings.

Work closely with mental health, housing, probation, and social care colleagues.

What you’ll bring:

Experience supporting vulnerable adults or people with complex needs.

Knowledge of substance misuse, harm reduction, and detox/rehab processes.

Strong communication, advocacy, resilience, and flexibility.

Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.

Knowledge of Thurrock and/or lived experience of recovery is desirable.

At The Forward Trust, you’ll be part of a supportive, values-driven team making a tangible impact on individuals, families, and the wider Thurrock community.

You’ll have access to specialist training in trauma-informed practice, harm reduction, and psychosocial interventions, alongside opportunities for professional development and career progression.

Every day, you’ll see the difference your work makes in helping people overcome barriers and build better futures.

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.