Lived Experience Volunteer

Service Overview - Reporting to the SGT Peer Volunteer Coordinator, our team of 8–10 lived experience Peer Volunteers will support clients referred by our partner organisation Cranstoun from the West Midlands Arrest Referral Service 

This initiative is designed to engage, support, and motivate individuals who have been referred for treatment, particularly those who have not previously accessed support for drug and alcohol use.  

Peer Volunteers, whom may have personal lived experience of substance misuse and recovery—will play a key role in fostering trust and encouraging individuals to engage with treatment services. By drawing on their own experiences, they will build meaningful, peer-led relationships that empower clients to voluntarily access support. 

Experience 

Personal experience of the criminal justice system or lived experience of the issues facing this client group (i.e. experience of substance misuse and recovery). 

Experience of working positively with adults to engage successfully despite ‘challenging’ behaviour.

Proven experience of working in a high intensity environment, being self-motivating, with an ability to effectively manage your own wellbeing

Knowledge 

Knowledge of the issues facing those arrested for potential criminal offences .  

Knowledge of and commitment to safeguarding practices and policies, and an ability to promote safeguarding among vulnerable clients and colleagues.

Knowledge of anti-discriminatory working practices, and the implications of both within the working environment.

Practical application of diversity awareness and unconscious bias in employment. 

Skills & Abilities 

The ability to use monitoring systems to record all aspects of the work, including action plans, outcomes, and session data on a day-to-day basis.

Ability to be a positive role model, demonstrating the virtues of engaging with treatment support services .

Attitude 

Personal and professional integrity.  

Commitment to consultative & collaborative ways of working. 

Commitment to and understanding safeguarding and professional boundaries. 

We will provide the following resources to assist in the successful achievement of the responsibilities outlined above: 

Line management support by the Peer Volunteer Coordinator  

Group/1:1 supervision and case-reviews (4-6 weeks)  

Clinical supervision  

Expenses e.g., travel, lunch etc.  

Accredited qualifications/personal development plans managed by our Volunteer Coordinator 

Internal quality assurance processes/procedures