Peer Support Worker – Drug & Alcohol Harm Reduction and Rough Sleeping in Eastleigh

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. If it is identified that you require sponsorship to undertake this role, your application may be withdrawn.

Do you have lived experience of recovery from drug and/or alcohol use, or experience of rough sleeping? Are you passionate about using your experiences to support others? Following investment in our Harm Reduction and Rough Sleeping service, we are recruiting three Peer Support Workers (16 hours per week) to join Inclusion Hampshire. This role is specifically designed for people with lived experience who want to use their recovery journey to inspire hope, build trust and support others to make positive changes.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will provide one-to-one peer and practical harm reduction support to people affected by substance use, including those experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping. By sharing your experiences appropriately, you will help people build confidence, identify strengths, achieve personal goals and access the support they need. You will work in community settings, supporting engagement with treatment services, healthcare and housing, while helping individuals reduce harm and improve wellbeing. We particularly welcome applications from people who believe their lived experience can bring hope, understanding and value to those facing similar challenges.

Main duties of the job

• Use your lived experience of recovery and/or rough sleeping to provide hope, encouragement and practical support to others.
• Deliver harm reduction information and interventions alongside the wider team.
• Build positive, trusting and non-judgemental relationships with people accessing the service.
• Support individuals to identify strengths, interests and personal recovery goals.
• Assist people to engage with drug and alcohol treatment, healthcare, housing and wider community services.
• Accompany and support individuals to attend appointments where appropriate.
• Assist with the development and delivery of peer-led and educational interventions.
• Support care planning and review processes, encouraging individuals to take an active role in their recovery.
• Maintain accurate records using electronic systems and follow organisational policies and procedures.
• Work flexibly across Hampshire, including outreach, community-based work and occasional evenings or weekends.

About us

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Inclusion service offers psychological and drug & alcohol services, in the community, and in prisons, and has contracts across the country. As an organisation we serve a population of 1.5 million and currently employ around 9000 members of staff. We have a wide range of exciting opportunities for people looking to work in a truly integrated NHS organisation. By joining MPFT you will become part of a team who are empowered and supported to deliver care in a way which is consistent with our values:

• Putting people at the heart of what we do
• Empowering people to improve care and wellbeing
• Delivering better health, better care in partnership

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the full Job Description for complete details; a summary is provided below:

• Provide peer support to people affected by drug and alcohol use and those experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping.
• Share lived experience appropriately to inspire hope, encourage recovery and promote self-determination.
• Work alongside service users to identify goals, strengths and opportunities for positive change.
• Support individuals to access healthcare, housing, treatment and community resources.
• Assist people in managing substance use and understanding harm reduction approaches, including safer use, overdose prevention and wider health promotion.
• Contribute to care planning, risk monitoring and communication with the multidisciplinary team.
• Promote recovery values, challenge stigma and act as an ambassador for lived experience within the service and wider community.
• Participate in outreach activities, supervision, training and service development initiatives.
• Work safely and effectively in a range of community settings while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used for shortlisting, so ensure your supporting information clearly demonstrates how you meet these requirements.

Person Specification

Experience

• Own personal lived experience of drug/alcohol use and/or rough sleeping.
• Own personal experience of accessing drug/alcohol support and/or housing support.
• Willing to positively share own life experiences, and personal experience of drug/alcohol or rough sleeping challenges with service users and carers.

Knowledge

• Understanding of harm reduction approaches for drugs and alcohol and knowledge of BBVs, safer injecting, overdose prevention, and safer drinking strategies.

Skills

• Ability to communicate clearly and develop positive working relationships with colleagues, other professionals and service users.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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.