Reports To: Blackburn-with-Darwen Team Leader

Employer: Red Rose Recovery Lancashire

Base: To be agreed

Hours: 15 hours per week

Salary: £21,000 pro rata (circa £8400 for 15 hour contract)

Duration: 12-month rolling contract

The ambition for Blackburn-with-Darwen’s Service User Forum is to become one of the country’s largest and most prominent independent mutual aid service user groups, delivering community action, advocating for service user voice and championing recovery support across the district.

Red Rose Recovery is commissioned to establish and develop recovery communities across Lancashire. The role of the Community Peer Engager is vital to the delivery of this objective.

As a Peer Engager, you will be required to create recovery systems and develop opportunities for people affected by substance misuse, dual diagnosis and offending behaviours in order to engage, speak up for and make a real change to the systems and services currently in Blackburn and Darwen. Your personal and relatable lived experience will provide inspiration and hope to people who are struggling to find a way forward.

Following our model, you will work within the recently formed Blackburn-with-Darwen recovery collaborative in to help establish an independent recovery forum that operates on a similar basis to the Lancashire user forum. You will ensure that people who access services also have access to volunteering roles and opportunities, empowering them to take up key roles in the new structures and systems being implemented in Blackburn-with-Darwen, and ensuring they play a fundamental part in decision-making via the recovery collaborative board. You will help to establish and facilitate visible, stigma-tackling events in the community, and will be expected to capture the data from these groups and work to identified, realistic targets.

You will be expected to work in partnership with the recovery collaborative, as well as with a wide range of other partner organisations in a range of settings, to build accessible and inclusive pathways for personal development and recovery.

You will be expected to engage with clients and support them through their recovery journey. Ideally you will have great engagement skills and a lived experience of one or more of addiction, recovery, criminality, mental health issues, homelessness.

You will also be expected to build links within localities to develop partnerships, be an advocate for Red Rose Recovery and The Lancashire User Forum.

Responsibilities: 

• To contact referrals and offer support relevant to their needs

• To encourage participation and recruit suitable participants into volunteer positions within the independent service user forum and recovery collaborative

• To work within the recovery collaborative to provide support and development of volunteers via supervision and training

• To support the development of new groups as part of the recovery collaborative in line with members’ needs.

• To run groups and oversee peer-led groups.

• To help grow the recovery community and support the LUF.

• To ensure the membership database is kept up-to-date.

• To liaise with the team leader about the development needs of members and volunteers within the community.

• To work with Red Rose Recovery partner organisations to ensure the best use of time and resources.

• To raise awareness of the work of Red Rose Recovery by promoting a good public image.

• To work in accordance with all Red Rose Recovery policies and procedures.

• Ensure any safeguarding disclosures are dealt with appropriately and in accordance with Red Rose Recovery policy.

General:

• Ensure health and safety compliance at all times.
• To be a strong member of the team and act as an ambassador for BwD Recovery Collaborative, Red Rose Recovery and the Lancashire User Forum.
• To maintain confidentiality at all times (with the exception of safeguarding events).
• To adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.
• To establish and maintain a positive working relationship with service providers, commissioners, stakeholders and other partner agencies.
• To undertake training as identified via personal development planning process.
• To undertake other duties commensurate to the grade of the post.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Rolonde Bradshaw on 07572 610530 / rolonde.bradshaw@redroserecovery.org.uk or Peter on 07825101757 / Peter@RedRoseRecovery.org.uk

You can find the full job specification here: BwD Community Engager - Job Specification

You can apply online directly through the website by hitting 'Apply Now' or alternatively, you can download the application form by clicking here and once completed, please return it to admin@redroserecovery.org.uk