Are you passionate about recovery, peer support and helping people make positive changes in their lives?
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Recovery Worker – Peer Supporter Lead to join our Substance Misuse Service at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
Working as part of an integrated healthcare team, you will play a key role in developing and delivering peer-led support within the prison. You will use a recovery-orientated and trauma-informed approach to help people affected by drug and/or alcohol use engage with treatment, recovery and wider health and wellbeing services.
What you’ll be doing
- Recruit, train and supervise peer supporters and mentors within the prison.
- Develop and support peer-led interventions, activities and initiatives.
- Enable peer supporters and mentors to work effectively across the prison wings.
- Encourage and motivate service users to take greater responsibility for their health, wellbeing and recovery.
- Support engagement with substance misuse treatment and recovery pathways.
- Provide appropriate signposting, information and support to service users.
- Work closely with substance misuse, healthcare and prison staff to provide joined-up support.
- Develop strong working relationships with healthcare providers and wider prison services.
- Support peer supporters to promote recovery, positive wellbeing and engagement amongst their peers.
- Contribute to service development and the ongoing development of peer support within the prison.
- Work across key areas of the service, including Early Days in Custody, unscheduled care, planned care, release and resettlement.
- Help strengthen links between service users, the substance misuse service, prison and wider healthcare services.
- Support a recovery-focused environment where people feel encouraged and empowered to make positive changes.
- Work flexibly, including some evening and weekend shifts on a rota basis.
- Be willing to undertake some cross-deployment at HMP Brixton.
What we’re looking for
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience of working in substance misuse, recovery, health and wellbeing, peer support or a related area.
- Is passionate about supporting people to achieve positive change and sustain recovery.
- Understands the value of lived experience and peer-led approaches.
- Can build positive, professional and trusting relationships with service users.
- Has strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Is confident supporting, motivating and encouraging others.
- Has experience of providing one-to-one or group-based support.
- Can recruit, train, motivate and supervise peer supporters or volunteers.
- Understands the importance of trauma-informed and recovery-orientated practice.
- Can work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- Is able to build positive relationships with healthcare professionals, prison staff and external partners.
- Has good organisational skills and can manage competing priorities.
- Can maintain appropriate professional boundaries and work within confidentiality and safeguarding requirements.
- Is resilient, adaptable and able to work effectively in a challenging environment.
- Is committed to equality, diversity and treating people with dignity and respect.
- Is willing to work flexibly across the service, including occasional evenings and weekends.
- Is willing to support the service through cross-deployment at HMP Brixton.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in developing peer-led recovery support within a prison setting.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Make a meaningful difference to people affected by substance misuse.
- Develop and lead innovative peer support initiatives.
- Use lived experience to help create positive change, where appropriate.
- Work alongside healthcare and prison professionals as part of an integrated team.
- Support people to build confidence, improve their wellbeing and engage with recovery.
- Contribute to the continued development of peer support across the prison.
If you are passionate about recovery, believe in the power of peer support and want to make a real difference to people's lives, we would love to hear from you.
All prison-based roles are subject to enhanced DBS checks and HMPPS security vetting. These checks can take up to 5 months to complete. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon the successful completion of both checks.
Please note if you have lived overseas within the last 5 years then checks may take longer.