Recovery practitioner jobs in watford, hertfordshire
Are you passionate about supporting others to make positive changes in their lives?
Do you want to make a difference by providing interventions to people impacted by gambling?
The role
This is a great time to join GamCare as we are growing the reach of our services. We are looking for Gambling Support Practitioners with qualifications or experience in health or social care, and an empathic style to enable people to change their behaviour through skilled intervention.
Crucially, you will ensure that psychosocial and recovery support interventions are delivered as part of a cohesive recovery plan while working collaboratively with external and partner organisations to achieve positive outcomes for service users.
There will be lots of opportunities to participate in service promotion, networking activities and events to support the visibility of the service, as well as developing relationships with local services and communities to strengthen pathways into the service.
We are looking for an individual to work full time, which will include 3 days working 9-5pm and 2 days 12-8pm per week (fixed), Monday to Friday. However, due to the possible requirements of the service, occasional Saturdays (9-2pm remotely) may be required. Another day off would be agreed on during the week.
Key Responsibilities
- Providing face to face and online advice, assessments, and brief and structured interventions to help clients achieve their recovery goals, using motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural approaches
- Providing safe and effective support to individuals whilst managing safeguarding issues in line with safeguarding procedures and policies
- Maintaining collaborative working relationships with external agencies, professionals and groups to facilitate multi-agency approaches and holistic support
- Developing and maintaining relationships with local services and communities to support the identification of gambling harms and pathways into the service
- Participating in service promotion, networking activities and events to support visibility and ongoing development of the service, proactively responding to the needs identified within the region
About you
You should have significant experience in individual client work in the field of addictions, mental health or a social care setting with adults or young people. You should be flexible in using a range of low and high-intensity interventions and modalities including cognitive behavioural tools.
You will need to live at a reasonable distance from GamCare London office due to expectations of working from the office when required, as well as being able to travel to other locations across Greater London to deliver services or attend community events.
If this sounds like you, and you would like to be part of a committed, dynamic, and highly supportive team providing exceptional support, then we would love to hear from you!
About Us
Founded in 1997, GamCare is the leading provider of information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms. We operate the National Gambling Helpline, provide treatment for anyone who is harmed by gambling, create awareness about safer gambling and treatment, and encourage an effective approach to safer gambling within the gambling industry.
Benefits You Can Enjoy
- 33 days basic annual leave entitlement per annum including bank holidays which increases with service
- A generous pension scheme - we contribute 6% and you contribute 2%
- Discretionary company sick pay from day one of service
- Employee Assistance Programme – 24-hour support
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- We also have a vibrant and diverse event calendar full of monthly initiatives and webinars to support the ongoing physical and mental wellbeing of our people
For further details and to apply please click the apply button.
Closing date for applications: 30th July 2025.
Interviews will take place in person at GamCare’s Head Office in Farringdon, London, the week commencing 4th August 2025.
This post requires a DBS check.
GamCare is committed to offering the best support to people affected by gambling harms, as such we welcome applications from candidates with lived experience.
GamCare is an equal opportunities employer and doesn’t discriminate based on race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, gender identification, or physical ability. We are only able to facilitate visa sponsorship in very limited circumstances, so candidates outside of the UK or who don’t have the right to work in the UK need not apply.
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Job Purpose
This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.
Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
The objectives of the service include:
- To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
- To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
- To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
- To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
- To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
- To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
- To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
- To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
- To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
- To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
- To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual
The Role
The role of the team manager will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will also include line management and supervision of senior support workers and support workers within the service. Team managers are responsible for management of their site; including report writing, audits and being the named manager for the site and allocated borough following the borough-based approach. This role directly supports the service managers in keeping to a high standard service. The role will include implementing a smooth running of the service including facilitating debriefing and providing senior support onsite. The role of the team manager is non-clinical.
Key Responsibilities
• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Guiding the team, responding to referrals and planning each shift in terms of staffing, activities and case allocation
• Understanding of risk and risk management
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• Oversee re-admitters and clients being discharged on a weekly basis
• Good time keeping skills - Essential
• Responsible lead for allocated site, attend and lead discussions with MDT teams
• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns
• To facilitate weekly team meetings with minutes and feedback any internal and external changes
• This role will be considered a key worker role
• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Keep minutes of all meetings attended and feedback to the wider team
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR.
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers
• Attend reflective practice, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Actively participate in training and development
• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers
• To work with service managers and assist with reporting and monitoring
Person Specification
• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of line management within a mental health setting
• Experience of de-escalation
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites
We’re here to make sure that everyone suffering with a mental health problem gets the help they need to recover.




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Purpose
This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.
Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
The objectives of the service include:
- To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
- To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
- To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
- To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
- To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
- To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
- To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
- To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
- To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
- To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
- To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.
The Role
The role of the support workers will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing.
Key Responsibilities
- Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
- Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
- Considering each person as an individual
- Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
- Understanding of safety planning
- Experience with de-escalation, recognising and mitigating risks.
- Experience of working with challenging behaviour
- Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
- Good time keeping skills – Essential
- To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR
- To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
- Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
- Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
- Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
- Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
- Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
- Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
- Providing administrative support to the team
- Attend reflective practice, clinical supervision, peer supervision and line management supervision
- Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
- Follow workplans and actively participate in training and development
- Provide and manage resources for clients and staff
Person Specification
- Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
- Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
- Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
- Evidence of continual professional development
- Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
- Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
- Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
- Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
- Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
- Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
- Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
- Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
- Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
- A good understanding of mental health conditions
- Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
- Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
- Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
- Ability to prioritise and manage workload
- Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
- Empathy and non-judgemental approach
- Good communication skills
- Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
- Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
- Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
- Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
- Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and willingness to travel to locations would be desirable.
- Ability to work out of hours and on weekends
We’re here to make sure that everyone suffering with a mental health problem gets the help they need to recover.




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.