Reconnect Peer Support Worker

Job overview

RECONNECT is a service that supports people as they transition from prison back into the community, helping them access vital services such as healthcare, housing, and substance misuse support. The aim is to improve continuity of care, support recovery, and reduce the risk of reoffending.

We are seeking a Peer Support Worker with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System and ideally recovery from substance misuse. This lived experience is central to the role and will be used to build trust, inspire hope, and support individuals on their recovery journey.

As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will provide person-centred, recovery-focused support to individuals leaving prison. You will use your own experiences appropriately to motivate and engage service users, helping them to overcome barriers and access the support they need to achieve a successful and sustainable return to the community.

Main duties of the job

• Build trusting, supportive relationships with individuals transitioning from custody into the community
• Use lived experience to inspire hope, support recovery, and encourage positive change
• Provide practical support, including accompanying service users to appointments and activities
• Support engagement with substance misuse services, healthcare, housing, and wider community resources
• Work in a strengths-based, recovery-focused way to promote independence and wellbeing
• Assist service users to develop and review personalised recovery and support plans
• Identify barriers to engagement and support individuals to overcome these in a non-judgemental way
• Monitor wellbeing, recognise early signs of risk or relapse, and escalate concerns where appropriate
• Work collaboratively with RECONNECT practitioners and partner agencies to ensure coordinated care
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to care planning, discharge processes, and service development
• Uphold professional boundaries, confidentiality, and safeguarding responsibilities at all times

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Peer Support Worker will play a key role within the RECONNECT service, working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team to support individuals with complex needs as they transition from prison into the community.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining respectful, trusting relationships with service users, using lived experience to engage and motivate
• Delivering peer support in a way that is recovery-focused, person-centred, and strengths-based
• Supporting individuals to identify goals, aspirations, and recovery plans, encouraging self-management and independence
• Sharing personal experiences appropriately to build rapport and instil hope, while maintaining clear professional boundaries
• Supporting access to services including substance misuse treatment, healthcare, housing, benefits, and social support networks
• Assisting individuals to attend appointments, understand their treatment options, and remain engaged with services
• Recognising early indicators of disengagement, relapse, or increased risk, and taking appropriate action in line with procedures
• Working collaboratively with a wide range of partner agencies, including probation, healthcare providers, housing services, and voluntary organisations
• Contributing to multidisciplinary meetings, care planning, and coordinated discharge arrangements
• Maintaining accurate, timely records in line with organisational policies and information governance requirements
• Adhering to safeguarding, lone working, and risk management procedures, including dynamic risk assessment in community settings
• Participating in supervision, training, reflective practice, and continuous professional development
• Promoting recovery-focused language, challenging stigma, and modelling positive behaviours and self-advocacy
• Supporting service development by sharing learning, contributing to evaluation activities, and helping improve peer support approaches
• Maintaining awareness of local services and community resources to effectively signpost and support service users

This role involves regular community-based working, including lone working and travelling across the county, and may include supporting individuals in challenging or emotionally demanding situations.