Peer support volunteer
Rehabit
Rehabit are looking for volunteers with lived experience of addiction / substance abuse to join our team helping those struggling with drugs and alcohol.
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 be in Islington. The ideal volunteers will have some experience advising or mentoring clients, or advocating on their behalf, and a reasonable working knowledge of the social care sector. 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. 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. o 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-12 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. The ideal volunteers will have at least three years’ experience advising or mentoring clients, or advocating on their behalf, and a good working knowledge of the social care sector. Key skills • Advice-giving and guidance skills • Confident having conversations with people they don’t know • Coaching or mentoring • 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 About Rehabit Rehabit provides free counselling and peer support for those who are struggling with drugs or alcohol and who have no or limited funds. We are a small, agile and personal charity that provides a non-judgemental quick intervention and free service, with lived experience and abstinence at its heart. We complement the work of larger drug and alcohol services by helping those who are in danger of falling through the gaps in society or who are stuck in the system. We believe those who will benefit from our services are people who need extra time, tolerance, patience and care to get the help they so desperately need. Our services are primary for clients in Islington and Haringey but we also cover Camden, Barnet and Enfield.
Advice, Information & Support,Befriending, Buddying & Mentoring,Community Work
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Key skills • Advice-giving and guidance skills • Confident having conversations with people they don’t know • Coaching or mentoring • 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
- Be part of a new and growing charity - Opportunity to share your personal recovery message to people in need - Flexible volunteering to fit around other activities or work - Also good for people in between roles who want to use their time for something worthwhile. - Good opportunity for those in recovery who wish to work in the field of addiction
Variable and down to the individual. With one client, it could be a minimum of a couple of hours a week to meet for coffee or have a couple of calls. Most volunteers have three or four clients max. Community drop-in volunteers would ideally be more structured with specific time committed to a particular venue. This is often during the daytime. In short, time commitment is negotiable,
N4 3HH
Our registered office Space 4, 113-115 Fonthill Road, Finsbury Park but volunteers will work REMOTELY and meet clients in Islington.
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