SUIT are a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO), providing support for people struggling with, or in recovery from drugs & alcohol in Wolverhampton.

SUIT volunteers and staff all come with lived experience of addiction, whether directly or in-directly linked. We work to reduce barriers between clients accessing healthcare, welfare, employment, also within criminal justice settings. SUIT was formed in 2007 to provide advocacy and support for people experiencing stigma and complex vulnerabilities from challenges surrounding substance use. SUIT have since developed into offering a diverse range of wraparound support, ‘Buddy’ support, community outreach, projects, events, whilst developing partnership work.

SUIT believe that vulnerable people with drug and alcohol addiction problems should be treated equally, have access to services that focus predominantly on recovery, and should be able to engage with service providers that will support them tailored to their requirements.

SUIT are proud to be a member of the College of Lived Experience (CLERO), and a recognised national LERO, meaning we connect with other lived experience organisations, and work to an important set of standards surrounding peer-led support.

To view us on the CLERO website & map, and to view government standards, please visit:

• CLERO website
• Recovery, peer support and lived experience initiatives government 

Service details:

• Monday – Friday | 9:00am – 4:30pm
• For an appointment, please call us on 01902 328 983, or drop in to our George Street office.
• To refer to SUIT speak to your RNY keyworker or email the SUIT team at suit@wvca.org.uk

Volunteering Opportunities

SUIT offer volunteering opportunities for people with lived experience of problematic drug & alcohol use. The main objective of the SUIT volunteer programme is to provide relevant and individual support for those in recovery who wish to rehabilitate, find value and purpose, and further opportunity in areas considered inaccessible to people previously within society.

During the last 2 years SUIT has supported 24 volunteers into paid employment (14 gaining full-time, and 10 part-time, with 9 into our service, 9 alongside our recovery partners Recovery Near You, and 6 including Wolverhampton City Council, Walsall Council, P3, and the NHS).

To apply or register volunteering interest with SUIT, download our form here and mail to suit@wvca.org.uk

To volunteer with SUIT, we ideally ask for:

• Abstinence from substances/alcohol for a minimum of 3 to 6 months.
• A commitment to volunteer with SUIT for a minimum of 6 hours a week.
• Stability on prescriptions or assisted treatments (It is okay to be on medication).
• Motivation within own recovery and demonstrate a clear plan of what recovery means.
• Willingness to seek and share knowledge with peers. We believe that we are stronger together.

(These factors are all individually assessed as our mission is to give people the best opportunity. We will always work alongside you to recognise strengths and encourage growth).

Volunteering with SUIT includes:

• Completing SUIT office induction and relevant training.
• Supporting clients using lived experience at the SUIT office.
• Supporting clients at treatment drop in’s (primary & secondary care, and criminal justice settings).
• ‘Buddy’ support for clients (providing lived experience, peer led guidance in all aspects of recovery).
• Internal and external training including IT, welfare & benefits, social, personal, and environmental factors surrounding addiction, policies and procedures, diversity & difference.
• Opportunities to attend conferences, forums, & meetings. Potentially developing confidence that could lead to public speaking opportunities.
• Opportunities to co-facilitate group work and activity sessions.
• Raising awareness of services through media networks (radio, interviews, social media).
• Project work and events alongside prestigious creative arts organisations.
• Trained volunteers can support the delivery of SUIT services at the SUIT office, George St, New Cross Hospital, Penn Hospital, RNY Pitt St, RNY Connaught Road Hub, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, The Good Shepherd and a diverse range of community locations.

SUIT’s volunteering programme is designed to be a comprehensive support package. At the heart of our service delivery is an incorporated humanistic approach where we emphasize the value and uniqueness of each individual. We will encourage and support each individual’s free will within recovery from addiction in the belief that they can reach their potential and self-actualization.

The programme contains recovery focused monthly supervisions, an allocated supervisor, full induction, DBS check, risk assessment, management plan, relapse prevention plan, regular reviews, and an exit interview when necessary. There are no contractual commitments to volunteering but the benefits of volunteering within SUIT can lead to life changing improvements, you will respectfully inherit what you deliver.

Contact Information

Address:

Paycare House
George Street
Wolverhampton
West Midlands,
WV2 4DX

Phone: 01902 328 983

Email: suit@wvca.org.uk

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