EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT
It’ s important not to wait until we think someone is‘ fixed’ before we start talking about work, says Danny Sheehan – people begin to grow when they can picture a future for themselves
WORKING IT THROUGH
O n 15 August, more than 85 employers, professionals, IPS employment specialists and people in recovery gathered at a church in Lincoln for a lively morning exploring how work supports recovery. The Lincolnshire Employer Conference 2025, hosted by the Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership( LRP), aimed to show how work can help people build a life after addiction, and how local businesses can be part of the story.
LRP, powered by the experience of Turning Point, Double Impact and Framework, and the lived experience of its team, has been supporting people in the county since April 2024, providing harm reduction advice, personalised treatment, recovery programmes, a young person’ s service, an affected friends and families’ team, and IPS employment support.
TV pundit and former Arsenal and England footballer Paul Merson was the headline guest, speaking about his own battles with addiction and what steady work had meant for him.‘ There’ s nobody in the world more willing and dedicated than people in recovery,’ he said when asked what he’ d say to an employer who might be nervous about hiring people in that position.
The line got a big round of applause from a crowd that included representatives of Anglian Water, NHS Lincolnshire, Bowmer + Kirkland, the Recovery Coach
Academy, teachers’ union NASUWT and several local firms, and for us at LRP it summed up the aim of the day. We want employers to see potential, not problems. People in recovery bring resilience, loyalty and a hunger to prove themselves. This was about showing that, with the right support, they can be a huge asset.
The Individual Placement and Support( IPS) employment team at LRP has been helping people back into work since July last year. We sit alongside treatment teams and perform all the usual employment support services while crucially linking people straight to real vacancies with employers. The team of seven staff, working across Lincolnshire, has a 47 per cent success rate – finding people work in everything from warehouses and kitchens to high-end office jobs. Around 85 per cent have stayed in those roles, thanks to ongoing coaching once someone moves into employment. Employment is one of the strongest predictors of long-term recovery, so our role is to open doors and walk alongside people as they step back into the world of work.
One guest story that stood out was that of Dan Dobbs, who sought support from LRP after years of struggling with alcohol. He’ s now thriving and employed by the organisation to run groups and give one-to-one advice to clients.‘ Having a reason to get up each morning has made the biggest difference,’ he told delegates.‘ It’ s given me a future I didn’ t think I’ d get back. Having someone believe in you when you’ re rebuilding is powerful,’ adding that employers often say they‘ get as much back – fresh perspective, gratitude and a work ethic that lifts the whole team’.
‘ There’ s nobody in the world more willing and dedicated than people in recovery.’
PAUL MERSON
Feedback from delegates was warm and personal, with one attendee writing‘ I had tears in my eyes pretty much the whole time’ and another saying‘ I wish we had more events like this across our type of work.’
The Lincolnshire IPS employment team has already been noticed well beyond the county, with national support body IPS Grow praising the early results and a BBC feature calling us‘ a small team making a big difference’, highlighting how the mix of professionalism and genuine care is reshaping what recovery support can be. By embedding IPS in local treatment services, the team has made employment part of recovery from day one. But what’ s important is that we don’ t wait until someone is‘ fixed’ before talking about work. People grow when they can picture a future for themselves.
The plan now is to build on the conference by launching a‘ work-ready employer kit’ to help businesses support people in recovery, while more events and an expanding employer network are also on the horizon.
The conference wasn’ t just another work event, however. It was a reminder of the human stories behind the data. As Dan Dobbs put it,‘ Recovery is a reality. It can, it will, and it does happen. For us at LRP, the goal is simple – keep opening doors to work so that nobody is written off because of their past.
To find out more about LRP’ s IPS employment team visit https:// www. turning-point. co. uk / services / lincolnshire-recovery-partnership
Danny Sheehan is senior IPS employment specialist( drug and alcohol recovery) at Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership
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