Why we need peer-led recovery projects in Scottish prisons

Rod Anderson, chief recovery officer for Recovery Coaching Scotland talks about his work training people in prison to help others with substance use problems

In 2021, as we emerged from the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself reflecting on unfinished work that had begun before lockdown. Having worked with various support organisations and participated in innovative prison projects, I was eager to explore developing a new peer-led recovery initiative.

I began volunteering one day a week at HMP Edinburgh’s new recovery hub, The Cove, where I started training people in prison to coach themselves to manage their substance use recovery. I eventually went on to train people in prison with experience of recovery to become mentors and coaches to help others still battling with substance use.

I launched Recovery Coaching Scotland, a non-profit community interest company working in prisons and recovery communities across Scotland to deliver recovery coaching training. We also support Borders in Recovery – the group representing people in the recovery community in the Scottish Borders.

We now work in five prisons across Scotland and have trained more than 200 people.

We deliver training for prison residents to work towards a Recovery Coaching Qualification so they can go on to become mentors and recovery coaches themselves to be able to support others.

Delivering training in a prison environment differed vastly from work I’d previously done in the community and we had to adapt our content, delivery, and approach. It was a learning curve – challenging at times – but it allowed us to refine the process, overcome literacy barriers, and cater better to the learners’ needs.

Substance and alcohol use can be seen as a risk factor for people reoffending – so helping people into recovery could also prevent people going back into the justice system.

Many clients who have gone through recovery have said coaches have really helped them move forward and have purposeful, productive lives.

Our partnership with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) enabled us to collaborate with other lived experience organisations like Scottish Recovery Consortium, SISCO, and Heavy Sound. However, like many start-ups, we faced the inevitable challenges: seed funding (the initial round of funding for a start-up) and sustainability. While the Scottish Recovery Consortium provided a crucial initial grant, accessing larger funding was difficult, particularly with no established track record.

The Corra Foundation suggested a solution – to partner with an established non-profit organisation. Enter Heavy Sound CIC, a game-changing collaborator. Together, we successfully applied for funding to support peer-led recovery programmes across three prisons – HMP Edinburgh, Glenochil, and Perth.

Our core offering, the self-coaching course, became a cornerstone of our prison programmes. The ten-session programme empowers individuals by teaching them recovery management skills. It covers topics such as Recovery Capital, Trauma-Informed Recovery, Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, and more. This structured, interactive format encourages participants to reflect on their experiences, building a strong foundation for managing their recovery.

Following the self-coaching course, we launched our Peer Coaching Programme, another ten-session course designed to help individuals harness their lived experience to support others in the prison community. This programme offers tools for employability and volunteering while emphasising the profound value of personal insights gained through recovery. The results have been transformative.

Now in 2024, our work has expanded to five partner prisons, and we have grown our team to include two additional staff members, Nick and Paula, both with relevant lived experience. Paula is embedded within HMP Edinburgh’s recovery hub and HMP YOI Stirling and Nick works across Glenochil, Perth and Shotts. Our team now includes freelance coach Lisa, who steps in when funding allows us to work across the Community Custody Units for women. Lisa also works across various recovery communities in Perth, Dundee, Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway.

To date we have worked with more than 200 prison residents, delivering hundreds of self-coaching sessions and we’ve continuously refined our approach. Through close collaboration with prison teams and aligning our mission with theirs, we are seeing the impact not just on the prison population but a cultural shift with the prison staff as well.

What is particularly exciting is witnessing peer-led recovery programmes take root in some of these establishments. Cultural change is happening. In places like HMP Castle Huntley, we see prison residents on day release returning to Glenochil and Perth, working alongside our Recovery Coaches to deliver the programmes themselves. These residents are also gaining recognised qualifications, such as the SCQF Level 7 in Advice & Guidance, which builds both their capacity and their future employability.

This is a win-win: expanding our reach, delivering hope, and cultivating the next generation of recovery coaches. We are now replicating this model within community settings, including our work with Borders in Recovery. We’ve now been commissioned by the local authority’s Justice Social Work Team to have a lived experience recovery coach embedded in a multidisciplinary team, supporting individuals on community sentences. This collaboration recently allowed us to employ a graduate from the Scottish Drugs Forum National Traineeship, and early results are promising.

One of the most significant drivers behind the success of peer-led recovery programmes in Scottish prisons has been the power of partnerships. Collaborating with organisations like SMART Recovery, Scottish Recovery Consortium, and the Scottish Drugs Forum has brought a wealth of experience and resources to the table. These organisations, alongside statutory services such as the NHS and Change Grow Live (CGL), and additional partners like Hillcrest Futures, have been instrumental in training and supporting residents. Each partner plays a vital role in shaping a holistic approach to recovery – providing education, practical skills, and emotional support to help individuals succeed. Their combined efforts have not only enhanced the depth of our programmes but also strengthened the community of support that extends beyond prison walls.

Equally important has been the willingness of prison establishments to take a leap of faith and trust their residents.

It is risky to trust those with a history of addiction and offending, but in doing so, the prisons have seen remarkable transformations. When residents are given the opportunity to lead and contribute, they bring passion and authenticity to their roles, often inspiring others to follow. This willingness to take risks is what fosters real cultural change inside the prison, empowering prisoners to become agents of their own recovery.

The work we are doing proves that peer-led recovery projects in Scottish prisons are not only possible but vital. They transform individuals, create cultural change, and build communities inside and outside prison walls. But sustained funding is essential to keep this momentum going. The impact is clear, the model works, and with continued support, we can ensure that these projects continue to flourish across Scotland’s prisons.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that recovery is contagious. When given the opportunity, those in recovery become the carriers of hope and transformation within their communities, even within the confines of a prison. Let’s make sure we give them the tools, trust, and support to do just that.

Looking ahead, we are fortunate to have secured long-term funding from the Scottish Government’s national drugs mission funds, to support our work through 2026. However, we are mindful of the challenges beyond that horizon and whether there will be funding to support the growth of our model. With ongoing funding we believe we have the opportunity to continue to make a big difference to many lives.