Senior Peer Support worker: Drug & Alcohol Reconnect
The closing date is 06 July 2026
Are you a passionate peer or lived experience worker ready to take the next step in your career? This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of lived experience roles while supporting the growth and development of services that truly make a difference. We’re looking for a motivated and inspiring individual with direct lived experience of the Criminal Justice System and/or drug and alcohol use to join our Reconnect team in the Midlands.
The role will cover the geographical area of Staffordshire and therefore requires the post holder to have access to a car and be able to travel independently across the region.
In this rewarding role, your insight, empathy, and experience will help empower others on their recovery journey, influence positive change, and strengthen the voice of lived experience across our services. We’d especially love to hear from people who have experience supporting, overseeing, or mentoring volunteers or staff members, and who understand the strong links between prison, recovery, and substance use.
Please note, this role is subject to vetting. If you have a Criminal Justice history, please check this link and ensure your offences do not fall into the ‘fixed’ category as this would exclude you from passing the vetting: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmpps-risk-assessed-access-for-personnel-with-lived-experience-of-the-criminal-justice-system-policy-framework
Main duties of the job
- Supervise and support Peer Support Workers and volunteers, contributing to recruitment and workforce development.
- Hold a caseload and support that caseload with overcoming barriers, such as attending their appointments with local substance use services.
- Partnership working and service promotion of both prison and community substance use services.
- Maintain professional relationships with a strong focus on confidentiality, safeguarding, and boundaries.
- Co‑produce and deliver training and development activities for internal teams and external partners.
- Use lived experience to model recovery‑focused approaches, mentoring and supporting others.
- Promote independent living by connecting service users with prison and community resources, including employment, housing, education, drug and alcohol support, and leisure services.
- Signpost individuals to appropriate support, opportunities, and activities to encourage informed decision‑making and wellbeing.
- Assist in developing and delivering educational programmes, peer support groups, and recovery‑focused activities.
Person Specification
Experience
- Own personal lived experience of change/recovery from criminal justice services and/or personal lived experience of change/recovery from substance misuse challenges.
- Experience of having personally utilised criminal justice services and/or substance misuse treatment/recovery services.
- Experience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker.
- Experience of working with people within the criminal justice settings and/or substance misuse services supporting them to access opportunities beyond criminal justice/ substance misuse services.
Qualifications & Training
- Accredited certificate in Life Coaching.
- Motivational Interviewing training.
Other
- Able to fulfil the requirement to commute across the whole of Staffordshire.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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