Many people in our services feel a strong impulse to give something back and to help others who are in a similar situation to themselves. Becoming a support worker in the drug and alcohol sector or the wider health and social care sector is an attractive career path for many who achieve a stable recovery and feel this way.
Many of our courses and voluntary schemes provide relevant qualifications, skills and experience of what it might be like to work in this role – but acquiring the right skills, qualifications and enough experience to actually land a job can be challenging.
That’s why we developed our Recovery Connector Apprenticeship Scheme, to provide that next step along the journey – and prepare people to be able to make that leap into full-time paid employment in the sector.
Recovery Connectors are employed within our main services in Nottingham and Lincolnshire, to work as part-time paid staff for 12 months. During this time they are supported to study towards a Health & Social Care Level 3 qualification, and given specific employment support to prepare them for their next opportunity.
What does a Recovery Connector do?
Recovery Connectors work alongside and as part of the wider staff team, supporting service users directly, co-facilitating groups, and providing a living example to those coming through the door, that a full recovery is possible. These positions, which are highly sought after, are ring-fenced for people with lived experience of addiction, whose recovery has reached a where they are able to take on the challenges of the role.
To find out more, speak to your keyworker, and in the meantime, watch the short video below from Iain about his experience working with Double Impact.