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Emmaus Overview
Emmaus is a community that provides accommodation and work for vulnerable people. We are committed to providing support while promoting independence. Staff and volunteers must work closely with Companions while observing appropriate professional boundaries in performing their role. They must also learn and engage with the Emmaus ethos.
The key task for this role is to manage a caseload of up to 16 Companions and to ensure that new companions get the information and support they need to help them settle in quickly and easily to the community and to working in our charity shops, warehouse and delivery / collection service. The support worker role is central to the team and close teamwork is essential.
The support worker will undertake direct support work with companions. Each companion has a personal support and development plan to help them achieve their personal goals and ambitions, in compliance with our Emmaus ethos, strategic aims, organisational objectives, policies and procedures.
Staff are expected to participate in and support solidarity activities undertaken by the Community. Solidarity within the context of Emmaus is the working with groups and individuals towards the alleviation of poverty, social exclusion and suffering, and responding to local, national and international appeals for relief and support.
We expect you to carry out your job responsibilities in an environmentally aware manner. Our aim is to ensure all resources are utilised effectively and efficiently. You will be expected to apply sound ‘value for money’ principles in undertaking purchasing or supply of goods and services.
In Emmaus, volunteers are an important resource and make a vital contribution to Emmaus’s aim to take action to help disadvantaged people. You will be expected to encourage and support volunteer involvement in our work.
Main duties and responsibilities
Support for Companions
- Support a caseload of companions to reach their potential through both practical and emotional support.
- Tailor support plans to meet individual needs – setting goals, assigning actions and taking a holistic view of the person and their wishes.
- Guide induction and exit processes for companions – to ensure that they understand the core principles of the offer at Emmaus and move on to long term, sustainable accommodation after us.Use de-escalation techniques to manage challenging behaviour as it arises, with consideration to positive conflict resolution.Support with incident response, including responding to risk, e.g. anti-social behaviour, mental health concerns, fire alarms etc.
- Liaise with external providers (CMHT, GP, DWP, hospitals, probation, prisons, CAB etc) to ensure that specialist advice and guidance is sought where needed.
Administrative duties
- Maintain accurate records in line with internal policy and with consideration for GDPR principles.
- Perform tasks to support the effective running of the community.
- Contact external providers to make them aware of who we are and what we do to drive referrals.
- Provide written updates for key stakeholders and internal meetings.
- Provide structured support for companions as agreed in the support plan.
- Participate in an emergency on-call rota to ensure 24/7 support is available for companions where needed.
Health and Safety
- To apply the organisations health and safety policy.
- To carry out risk assessments as and when required and to ensure actions arising from this are carried out.
- To ensure that health and safety procedures are understood and followed by all companions.
- To report any incidents or concerns to the Community Support Manager.
Recovery Worker - Peer Support Lead - HMP Wormwood Scrubs
Location: Shepherd's Bush
Salary: £28,207 per annum
About The Role
Are you passionate about empowering others, championing lived experience, and shaping meaningful change?
Join our dynamic Substance Misuse Service at HMP Wormwood Scrubs and play a key role in transforming recovery pathways for men in custody.
Working within the New Models of Care (NMOC) framework, our team delivers trauma-informed, recovery-oriented interventions that support individuals from their first days in custody through to release and resettlement. We work hand-in-hand with healthcare partners to ensure every service user receives holistic, person-centred support.
What You’ll Do
As our Peer Supporter Lead, you’ll be the driving force behind peer-led, lived-experience initiatives across the prison. Your role will include:
- Recruiting, training, and supervising peer supporters and mentors
- Empowering peer supporters to deliver interventions and wellbeing initiatives across all prison wings
- Promoting engagement in recovery pathways and strengthening service-user involvement
- Building effective links between the substance misuse service, healthcare teams, prison staff, and service users
- Supporting the continued development of the Peer Supporter programme in partnership with healthcare providers
What We’re Looking For
- A passionate, motivated individual with experience supporting vulnerable people
- Someone confident in leading, developing or mentoring others
- Strong partnership-building skills and a belief in the power of lived experience
- Flexibility to work occasional evenings/weekends as part of a rota
- Willingness to work across sites, including some deployment at HMP Brixton
This is a unique opportunity to shape a culture of hope, connection, and shared recovery. By developing the Peer Supporter programme, you will directly influence how service users support one another, build resilience, and take ownership of their wellbeing while in custody.
Please note the role includes an Interim allowance of £3000 reviewed every 6-months, basic salary based on 35 hours would be £25,207.00. This interim scheme will be reviewed on 31st March 2026.
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)
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.