The national voice for lived experience recovery.
CLERO is the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations — a free-to-join network of LEROs across the UK, run by the people who run them. We set the national standards, share what works, and make sure lived experience is heard where decisions are made.
Our standards are built on CHIME — hover or tap a blade
What CLERO does
Sets the national standards
Developed with our network and the OHID alcohol and drug team, the National LERO Standards give groups a way to review their practice and give commissioners a way to understand what a LERO is. They're aspirational, not a licence. Read the Standards
Connects LEROs to each other
From Tottenham to Middlesbrough, LEROs are doing similar work in very different places. CLERO is where they compare notes, back each other up, and speak with one voice on the national recovery agenda. See who's on the map
Builds capacity
Through the OHID-funded LERO Capacity Building Project we've delivered masterclasses on everything from asset mapping to becoming an employer, and produced around 30 policy and procedure templates members can adapt. Browse the resources
Five things every recovery journey needs
CHIME comes from a 2011 review in the British Journal of Psychiatry. It describes recovery as five overlapping processes rather than a single outcome. Whatever a LERO offers — a café, a football team, peer mentoring, a women's group — it can be understood through these five, so CHIME gives our standards a common reference point without telling anyone how to run their organisation.
Connectedness
Peer support, relationships, being part of a community.
Hope and optimism
Belief that recovery is possible, and people who show it.
Identity
Rebuilding a positive sense of self and overcoming stigma.
Meaning in life
Quality of life, social roles, rebuilding a life.
Empowerment
Personal responsibility, control over life, focusing on strengths.
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LEROs & CLERO: why we choose community over competition
True recovery and thriving communities are nurtured through collaboration, not competition. LEROs are not conventional service providers.
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National LERO Standards
Over two years, CLERO has worked to produce standards that allow groups to review practice and show commissioners what a LERO is.
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Connectors Group: new members
The Connectors Group needs fresh blood. Everyone seems to agree, as there are still important tasks for the organisation.
Membership is free. Everyone's lived experience counts.
Join as an organisation or as an individual. Members shape CLERO's direction, get access to the policy library, and are the voice of LEROs nationally. Supporters and friends — commissioners, researchers, allies — are welcome too.
- Members — LEROs and people with lived experience: the core group and the voice of the network.
- Connectors — the board: strategic oversight and the links into national policy.
- Supporters and friends — allies who help build bridges and make change possible.