Mims Davies MP Shares New Peer Mentoring Programme to help people out of addiction and into work.
A new £3.7 million employment programme will see mentors who have beat drug or alcohol addiction placed in Jobcentres to help others with dependencies recover and get back into work.
- Mentors with experience of drug or alcohol dependency set to guide people on journey out of addiction and into work.
- £3.7 million DWP programme is being trialled in 40 Jobcentres across England this month as part of efforts to grow the economy.
- Mentors hail return to work as vital step to their own recovery and a pathway out of addiction.
The new peer mentoring programme, run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is being trialled in 40 Jobcentres across England from May 2023 and is part of wider efforts to support people back into work – delivering on the Government’s priority to grow the economy.
Now open for referrals, it will see mentors, contracted by DWP after being recommended by partner organisations, draw on their lived experiences of drug or alcohol dependency to support people in the same position.
They will help others in disclosing their dependency issues without fear of reprisal, signpost them to help that will assist them to manage their addiction, and eventually equip them with the necessary skills to access education, training, volunteering, and employment.
Mims Davies MP, said:
"Our new peer mentors are proof that work can be a crucial part of someone’s journey out of substance dependency, transforming their life.
Their lived experience will help them provide expert one-to-one advice and support from DWP in our Jobcentres, helping people recovering from addiction move into work."