Chair
Forward
Kennington, London.
Unremunerated
The Forward Trust empowers people to break the cycles of addiction or crime to move forward with their lives. We’re a national organisation delivering over 70 projects around the country, with over 900 staff and 200 volunteers, 30% of whom have lived experience of the issues we seek to address. Since 1991, we have enabled thousands of people to make changes to create better lives with jobs, family, friends and a sense of community. We deliver a diverse range of care and rehabilitation services focused on recovery and rehabilitation in community and prison settings, and campaign for equality and compassion for people on the margins of society.
THE ROLE
We have brought together the incredible work of several charities over this period under the banner of the Forward Trust, and now manage a wide range of services that reach over 20,000 beneficiaries each year. All of these services work to a single mission – to help people who are struggling in life, to give them the belief that a better life is possible, and to provide them with emotional and practical help to achieve it.
Formerly known as RAPt (Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust) the organisation began life 32 years ago as a provider of drug and alcohol treatment in prisons. Now, with a turnover of approx. £45 million and a staff complement of nearly one thousand, we work both in prisons and in the community. We help those with addiction, but also those in or around the criminal justice system. Whether their presenting problem is addiction, imprisonment, unemployment, homelessness, or a more general mental health issue, we hope that Forward Trust can provide our clients with the support they need to turn their lives around.
As a charity and social enterprise that is primarily funded through public sector contracts (over 95% of our income), we can be subject to significant fluctuations in our annual income and expenditure, but I am happy to report that we are today a financially sound organisation with strong governance. We hope to continue to develop and expand the services we offer, while raising wider awareness of the needs of our beneficiaries and influencing public policy on the issues we deal with.
