Regional Peer Co-ordinator

Forward Trust; Sutton; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 18,000; Full time

Job summary

The Forward Trust is seeking a Regional Peer Co-ordinator to support adults in custody within an Integrated Substance Misuse Service. Based in Sutton, you will help develop peer supporters and Health & Wellbeing Champions, linking services and promoting positive health outcomes for service users.

You will train peers, coordinate activities across wings, travel between sites, and work flexible hours including evenings/weekends as needed to support the prison population.

Qualifications

• Passionate about supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing.
• Able to build positive and professional relationships with service users.
• A confident communicator who can engage and motivate others.
• Able to encourage individuals to take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
• Comfortable supporting and developing others through training and peer support.
• Able to work effectively with people from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
• Organised and able to coordinate peer support activities across the prison.
• Able to work collaboratively as part of a wider integrated team.
• Committed to promoting positive health and wellbeing within a prison environment.
• Able to identify appropriate services and support individuals to access them through effective signposting.
• Flexible and adaptable to the needs of the service.
• Willing and able to travel between prison sites when required.
• Available to work occasional evening and weekend shifts as part of a rota.

Responsibilities

• Champion the Integrated Substance Misuse Service within the prison.
• Support and work alongside the wider Substance Misuse Services team.
• Train and support service users to become Peer Supporters.
• Develop and support peer-led interventions across all wings of the prison.
• Support Peer Supporters to engage with and assist other service users.
• Develop and support Health & Wellbeing Champions within the prison.
• Encourage Health & Wellbeing Champions to motivate and support their peers to take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
• Support Champions to listen to and understand the issues and concerns raised by other service users.
• Signpost service users to relevant health, wellbeing and support services within the prison.
• Support Health & Wellbeing Champions to provide interventions to their peers, where agreed with the prison.
• Build and strengthen links between the Integrated Substance Misuse Service and service users within the prison.
• Promote positive engagement with health, wellbeing and substance misuse services.
• Work collaboratively with prison staff, colleagues and other services to ensure effective support for service users.
• Work across multiple prison sites, which may include HMP High Down and HMP Downview.
• Travel between prison sites as required.
• Work flexibly, including some evening and weekend shifts on a rota basis, with reasonable notice.

Job description

Regional Peer Co-ordinator

Location: Sutton

Salary: £16,200 per annum

About The Role

We are looking for a Peer Coordinator to join our Integrated Substance Misuse Service, working within an integrated healthcare framework to support adults aged 18 and over who use drugs and/or alcohol. The Integrated Substance Misuse Service provides a combination of clinical, psychosocial substance misuse, health and wellbeing interventions and accredited treatment programmes for people entering prison who have been identified as having an alcohol or drug problem. As a Peer Coordinator, you will play an important role in supporting the service and the prison to develop a strong peer support network, helping service users to take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

What You'll Be Doing

• As a Peer Coordinator, you will:
• Champion the Integrated Substance Misuse Service within the prison.
• Support and work alongside the wider Substance Misuse Services team.
• Train and support service users to become Peer Supporters.
• Develop and support peer-led interventions across all wings of the prison.
• Support Peer Supporters to engage with and assist other service users.
• Develop and support Health & Wellbeing Champions within the prison.
• Encourage Health & Wellbeing Champions to motivate and support their peers to take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
• Support Champions to listen to and understand the issues and concerns raised by other service users.
• Signpost service users to relevant health, wellbeing and support services within the prison.
• Support Health & Wellbeing Champions to provide interventions to their peers, where agreed with the prison.
• Build and strengthen links between the Integrated Substance Misuse Service and service users within the prison.
• Promote positive engagement with health, wellbeing and substance misuse services.
• Work collaboratively with prison staff, colleagues and other services to ensure effective support for service users.
• Work across multiple prison sites, which may include HMP High Down and HMP Downview.
• Travel between prison sites as required.
• Work flexibly, including some evening and weekend shifts on a rota basis, with reasonable notice.

What We're Looking For

• Passionate about supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing.
• Able to build positive and professional relationships with service users.
• A confident communicator who can engage and motivate others.
• Able to encourage individuals to take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
• Comfortable supporting and developing others through training and peer support.
• Able to work effectively with people from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
• Organised and able to coordinate peer support activities across the prison.
• Able to work collaboratively as part of a wider integrated team.
• Committed to promoting positive health and wellbeing within a prison environment.
• Able to identify appropriate services and support individuals to access them through effective signposting.
• Flexible and adaptable to the needs of the service.
• Willing and able to travel between prison sites when required.
• Available to work occasional evening and weekend shifts as part of a rota.

The Peer Coordinator role is vital in strengthening the connection between the Integrated Substance Misuse Service and service users within the prison. By developing Peer Supporters and Health & Wellbeing Champions, you will help create opportunities for service users to support one another, share concerns, access appropriate services and take greater responsibility for their health and wellbeing while in custody.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Please note that remote roles may require occasional travel for site visits, training and meetings.