Peer support volunteer - apply here
Rehabit are looking for volunteers with lived experience of addiction / substance abuse to join our team helping those struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Our definition of peer support is someone with lived experience of addiction, who practices a recovery programme, and who knows how to work with those who are ready for recovery or in early recovery.
Specifically, there are two types of role.
The first involves talking with and meeting new clients who are ready for recovery and waiting for counselling with us. They will join other peer supporters in being the first point of contact for client referrals.
The second involves joining community drop-in sessions at our partners locations. These could community centres, food banks, residential centres, hostels and so on. We are currently developing this programme and would like to build a network of peer support volunteers to cover the sessions. To begin with, these will primarily be in Islington.
Peer supporters can focus on one of the above roles or a combination of both.
The aim is to identify and support clients into our in-house counselling service. The intention isn’t to build long-term relationships with clients but to identify and support those who are ready (and don’t need detox) into our counselling service. We also guide clients to 12-step fellowships if they are willing, but this isn’t a condition of us helping.
We deal with low volume of clients, generally those who are stuck in the system or falling through the cracks. This means there can be ebbs and flows in client numbers.
Peers supporters will need a DBS check, unless they hold one on the Update Service, and, as well as mandatory training, there will be an in-house peer support coaching and charity orientation sessions.
Lastly, our main area is Islington but we also cover Haringey, Camden, Barnet and Enfield.
Key duties
Duties include:
- Meet clients locally (café, park, walk etc) or have a telephone conversation with them to offer guidance and support on their drug or alcohol, problems.
- Note that we don’t do home visits unless it’s with a frontline worker and with agreement of our triage process).
- Hold about six sessions (this can vary depending on the client) with a single client and no more than three clients at any one time.
- Explain and role-model the benefits of your recovery and how it worked for you; and how the charity can support the client.
- Sound-out if the client is ready and willing to do counselling and advise accordingly via our triage process.
- Attend our community events and be on hand to offer an ear to those who want to discuss recovery. Our approach for these is low-key eg no branding or marketing stands, just being present to talk to those who need to or to explain the role of our charity.
Commitment
Voluntary role depending on how many clients we have and what time the peer supporter can offer. A minimum would be an hour a week to speak or meet with a client – though there will be times when there are no clients depending on our referrals.
A volunteer always has the right to say no if they don’t wish to work with a particular client or area. This is why it’s important to use to build up a network of volunteers.
Client sessions would be mutually agreed with the client and held in a public place, meeting room or via phone/zoom.
For community drop-in sessions, our intention is to create a schedule to ensure that all our centres are covered and we have continuity.
Location is flexible as long as the volunteer can easily get to Islington, Haringey and Camden. Access to Barnet and Enfield is nice but not essential. There are occasional meetings at our office space in Finsbury Park that the volunteer would be invited to on occasion.
Travel and client hospitality expenses will be covered.
Qualifications and experience
Lived experience of addiction and experience offering peer support or working with addicts / substance abusers in some capacity. Ideally, having worked in the field or a graduate who it about to start a career in social care.
Key skills
- Able to open up conversations with people they don’t know
- Be able and be able to listen and reflect
- Empathy
- Be open about their own recovery story.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Flexible
- Ability to work unsupervised
- Confidence working with people from diverse backgrounds
Contact
To express interest, please email Sean (sean.robinson@rehabit.uk) with cover email and CV. Or contact him if you have any questions about the role.