CLERO — College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations

National LERO Standards

Thirty-three statements in four sections, drawn from the collective experience of our national network. Best-practice guidance for LEROs at every stage — not a licence, and not a monitoring regime.

Thanks to the members of our network who supported their development, and to the alcohol and drug treatment and recovery team at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), who provided support and feedback.

Read the standards Download the PDF

Who they're for

The standards help LERO community groups and providers to develop and sustain their model, review current practice and identify areas for development, and find ways to evidence and quality-assure what they do.

They also help commissioners, funders and policymakers understand the different types of LERO and the LERO movement nationally.

Some statements apply to every LERO. Others only apply to those with a recognised formal organisational structure. We don't expect all LEROs at all stages of development to fully align — the standards are aspirational, designed to support development, and CLERO does not monitor or govern anyone against them.

The four sections

Open a section to read its statements.

Culture and values 9 statements

How a LERO understands itself: lived experience at the centre, co-production as the default, and a rights-based approach.

  1. Lived experience is visible in the leadership, governance and everyday running of the organisation.
  2. People who use the organisation are involved in deciding what it does and how.
  3. The organisation is welcoming to anyone seeking recovery, whatever their pathway or substance.

…and 6 further statements in this section.

Support offer 8 statements

What the LERO actually provides and how it connects people to recovery.

  1. Support is available without a referral and without conditions attached.
  2. The organisation offers or connects people to peer support and mutual aid.
  3. Activities build connection, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment.

…and 5 further statements in this section.

Staff and volunteers 8 statements

Recruiting, developing and looking after the people who run the organisation.

  1. Volunteers and staff with lived experience are supported to develop, not only to give.
  2. Boundaries, supervision and wellbeing are in place for anyone in a supporting role.
  3. Training is available on safeguarding and on the organisation's approach to recovery.

…and 5 further statements in this section.

Operations and management 8 statements

For LEROs with a formal structure: the basics of running a safe, sustainable organisation.

  1. The organisation has a governing document and a named body accountable for it.
  2. Policies covering safeguarding, data protection, health and safety and complaints are in place and reviewed.
  3. The organisation can evidence its impact in a way that funders and commissioners can use.

…and 5 further statements in this section.

Prototype note: section counts and statement wording here are illustrative. The real 33 statements will be lifted from the National LERO Standards PDF so they're searchable on the page and not only inside a download.

Built on CHIME

CHIME is a way to understand recovery. It lays out five areas that have been observed to matter in recovery journeys, set out by Mary Leamy, Victoria Bird, Clair Le Boutillier, Julie Williams and Mike Slade in a 2011 review in the British Journal of Psychiatry. That paper studied mental health recovery; we believe its findings are wholly relevant to LEROs.

Whatever influences a recovery journey — treatment services, mutual aid, LEROs, recovery communities — these five areas describe recovery as a multi-faceted process, which gives LEROs with very different offers a common reference point. We've made some small changes to make CHIME fit LEROs, and our Connectors group works with Professor Mike Slade, one of the model's originators.

This approach is not meant to "professionalise" or limit LEROs. It exists so that LEROs are regarded as valuable, quality-assured organisations with specialised knowledge that is different from service provision and deserves the same level of value from local and national decision makers. LEROs can grow in the directions and at the pace that suit them and their values.

CConnectedness
  • Peer support and support groups
  • Relationships
  • Support from others
  • Being part of the community

LEROs offer accessible, empathetic support where newcomers feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. They are introduced to the support of unconditional human relationships where they can feel valued, safe and understood.

HHope and optimism
  • Belief in the possibility of recovery
  • Motivation to change
  • Hope-inspiring relationships
  • Positive thinking and valuing success
  • Having dreams and aspirations

LEROs whose staff have their own lived experience embody the idea that recovery is possible. This gives newcomers and members evidence that they can navigate their own journey towards wellness. Support, positivity and learning offered by lived experience make change a realistic opportunity.

IIdentity
  • Dimensions of identity — all the ideas of self we hold about ourselves
  • Rebuilding or redefining a positive sense of identity
  • Overcoming stigma

Our sense of self is one of the most constantly changing things about us. LEROs help people discover that process, then understand how they can turn their sense of self into a helpful and positive force for change.

MMeaning in life
  • Making sense of experiences of mental illness and addiction
  • Quality of life
  • Meaningful life and social roles
  • Meaningful life and social goals
  • Rebuilding life

All the activities and supports LEROs provide are opportunities for people to grow a more positive connection into the life around them. That connection gives hope, confidence and self-worth — playing sport, cooking, having a cuppa, volunteering, attending recovery meetings.

EEmpowerment
  • Personal responsibility
  • Control over life
  • Focusing upon strengths

LEROs support people to embrace a sense of agency and self-control in their lives. Empowered people have evidence that they can change things about themselves, their lives, and positively contribute to the lives of others in their communities.

Measure your LERO against the standards

Our Peer Research Training Programme has been piloted successfully. People in recovery who complete it can assess how well their LERO fits the standards — building research skills and adding value to the host organisation at the same time.

Ask about peer research