Trainee Recovery Connector Practitioner - High Peak

The Derbyshire Recovery Partnership are looking to recruit a Trainee Recovery Connector Practitioner for the High Peak area of our Derbyshire service. 

The Recovery Connector team works with people living in Derbyshire that are in recovery from drug and/or alcohol use and focuses on linking people in treatment with their local recovery communities, teams, projects and mutual aid groups.

In this Trainee role you will work alongside a team of Recovery Connector workers and drug and alcohol key workers and will be led by a Recovery Connector Team Manager. Within your team you will also have a new Lived Experience Pathway Coordinator whose role is to support people with lived experience to access a range of skills, experience and qualifications with drug and alcohol work, supporting people to then gain employment within the field of substance use. 

As a trainee, you will develop the skill set, knowledge and competencies to become a Recovery Connector Practitioner, via a mixture of training, coaching and practice-based learning. The role is based in a busy community drug and alcohol service, working with people using substances in the High Peak area of Derbyshire. It will involve developing the skills to compete recovery assessments, risk assessments and recovery plans, alongside a range of harm reduction and relapse prevention interventions. You will connect people accessing treatment within our service to their local community recovery support services, or other structured meaningful activities, which may also include supporting them to attend local mutual aid meetings. This role will involve helping to deliver some small recovery group work sessions, both in person and online. This role will involve advocating for people accessing our service, travelling with them to recovery-based appointments and meetings to help build their confidence and overcome barriers to accessing aftercare and recovery support. You will put the individual at the centre of your work, helping them to achieve their personal recovery goals. Building good working relationships with other services and projects will be vital to this role, so we're looking for someone with good communication skills. As this role will also involve recording notes from your appointments and completing some data-related work on Microsoft Excel, you will need good written/IT skills. 

The core focus of this role is helping people to engage with recovery-focused support and reconnect them with their local community; supporting them to access groups and activities, helping them to improve health, unlock potential and achieve personalised recovery goals. You will help us to break down barriers, reduce stigma and promote visible recovery. 

You would be working 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm typically, but there may also opportunities to work flexibly. As a Trainee Recovery Connector, we'll give you lots of training and coaching alongside all the support you need to thrive and succeed in your role and find your place amongst our incredible and collaborative team. We'll train you to to be a SMART facilitator too. You will be based in our Buxton office on Hardwick Street and will be able to claim mileage for your journeys around the area you'll be working in (Buxton, New Mills, Glossop). Our Trainee roles are fixed term for 6 months and during this time there may be opportunities to apply for permanent Recovery Connector or Drug and Alcohol Practitioner vacancies within the service. 

Successful applicants will be able to show in their application and interview a clear passion for working with people in recovery and will have an positive, motivating and proactive approach to their work. Applicants for this role will require a driving licence with access to a vehicle for work due to the geography of the High Peak region. 

If you want to help other people change their lives, we'd love to have you in our team. You'll give people support and inspiration that will help them change their lives for the better. 

*Job description is attached.  Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description as this will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

We are keen to hear from anyone with experience of working within the field of drug and alcohol use, and/or has lived experience, or from someone who may not have experience with drugs/alcohol but is very motivated and passionate about recovery and supporting others.

Your Rewards as a Trainee

• Salary of £24,637
• 25 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Benefits including season ticket loan, pension scheme and life assurance
• Support through occupational sick pay, eye-care vouchers and regular wellbeing talks and activities
• Continuous training and career development via PXL our dedicated learning management system 
• Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance programme including telephone and online access
• A rewarding role with the opportunity to help us support people on their journey to recovery and change their lives for the better.
• We’ll ensure you get all the support you need to thrive and succeed in your role and find your place amongst our incredible and collaborative team.

About Phoenix Futures

Phoenix Futures Group is a charity with over 50 years’ experience and a leading provider of drug and alcohol treatment. Our values are what define us and ensure we work to the highest standards. We believe in being the best, we are passionate about recovery, we value our history and use it to inform our future. We work with local authorities, other charities and service providers across the country to deliver innovative programmes and projects that change lives for the better, setting people on the path to health and emotional wellbeing. We provide a diverse range of services, our expertise in psychosocial treatment and support is the common thread that runs through everything we do. People need psychological interventions, social support, meaningful use of time, sense of purpose and a place of safety to sustain their recovery. At our core, we support people, families and communities to recover from drug and alcohol dependency. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and believe it is important to include people with lived experience to ensure the needs of the people we support are represented. We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is free to be themselves and we ensure equity of opportunity. 

For more information about the Derbyshire Recovery Partnership service, visit: www.derbyshirerecoverypartnership.co.uk 

Applications can be made via www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

If you're unsure if this role is for you and you'd prefer to consider Volunteering within the service first, please look at the opportunities we have currently available on our Phoenix Futures website.

If you have drug/alcohol lived experience and would like to gain some skills qualifications and experience in the field of drug and alcohol work before applying for a role like this, please email us at ASCH.GRIDinfo@derbyshire.gov.uk so we can talk to you about our new lived experience substance use career pathway in Derbyshire and how it can help you.  

 #LP