Mental Health Outreach Worker

Mental Health Outreach Worker

Location: Medway

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 25th September 2025

As a Rough Sleeping Outreach Worker, you'll be on the frontline of supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities' individuals who are either rough sleeping or at risk of homelessness. Your focus will be on helping people to address drug and alcohol use, while also connecting them with wider services to meet their holistic needs. This is a dynamic, people focused role requiring persistence, empathy, and the ability to engage with individuals who may be hard to reach. You'll be providing assertive outreach, delivering interventions, and ensuring that each client is supported to take steps toward sustainable change.

Key responsibilities include:

• Identifying and engaging with entrenched rough sleepers, including those reluctant to access services.
• Delivering psychosocial interventions and practical support to people with drug/alcohol and mental health issues.
• Using motivational approaches to help service users explore their options and take positive action.
• Working closely with mental health teams, hospitals, and other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Supporting service users to build personal strengths, resilience, and social networks in the UK or in their country of origin.
• Promoting access to healthcare and ensuring smooth transitions between services.
• Building collaborative relationships with multi-agency partners to deliver joined-up support.
• Keeping accurate records and reports to a high standard.
• Promoting anti-discriminatory practice and safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.

This role is vital in bridging the gap between people on the streets and the services that can help them, offering hope and practical support for long-term recovery.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is proactive, compassionate, and resilient with the skills to engage people who may be facing multiple and complex challenges.

Essential skills & experience:

• Understanding of the needs of people who are rough sleeping and/or begging.
• In-depth knowledge of at least one of the following: substance misuse, alcohol misuse, or mental health.
• Experience supporting people with multiple and complex needs, including co-occurring conditions.
• Understanding of multi-agency working and the importance of professional boundaries.
• Good administrative, recording, and reporting skills.
• Knowledge of safeguarding procedures for both children and vulnerable adults.
• Strong IT skills, including the ability to use Microsoft Office and client databases.
• Flexibility to work unsociable hours when required.

If you are motivated by the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness, and you have the skills to support them toward recovery and stability, we'd love to hear from you.

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 the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.