Peer Recovery Worker (Eating Disorders)

Job description

Job responsibilities

The role of peer recovery worker (PRW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery. We recognize the value in such roles in inspiring hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. They share wisdom gained from their own experiences to support others.

The remit of this post is to support those who have been referred via the Regional Provider Collaborative AED SPA to specialist inpatient services. In the first instance, the role will be focused on working alongside the specialist inpatient MDT to support current inpatients.

As an integral and valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, PRWs provide structured peer support and practical assistance to service users: enabling them to regain control over both their lives and their recovery process.

Giving service users a sense of hope and wellbeing

Helping service users gain satisfaction in different parts of their lives

Helping them engage with, and build connections and a sense of belonging to, local communities ahead of discharge

PRWs provide practical assistance including: helping the service user to access information concerning services, assisting in conversations with clinical team members, helping service users to articulate messages that they find it difficult to say and other related activities; sitting alongside a service user as they reflect on their personal needs and challenges during, before or after a clinical meeting. Peer support workers may constructively reference their own experiences when undertaking their work.

Within a respectful boundaried relationship, PRWs promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for personal fulfilment.

The post holder will have lived experience of an eating disorder (either as someone who has recovered or who has been the carer of someone who has recovered) and their focus will be on providing boundaried emphatic and compassionate emotional support to service users and instilling hope for recovery. The post holder will provide a voice in meetings to ensure that the unique needs of a person experiencing an eating disorder are heard.

The post holder will contribute to the ongoing assessment, planning delivery and review of activities and interventions against identified health, social and well being needs, for an allocated group of service users. The role will also require undertaking and delivering defined activities and interventions for a wider group of identified service users, in accordance with the agreed personal recovery plan. This maybe either on a one to one basis, or as part of a group activity, but always in conjunction with staff from the involved SEDU or community service.

The post holder will also be actively participating in service user and carers involvement work, such as gathering feedback as well as feeding back, encouraging service user involvement and leading on co-creating within service developments.

Potential future developments for the role may include supporting those transitioning from a specialist inpatient admission back into community services and supporting those awaiting an admission in terms of preparing for an admission. The role will involve enabling and assisting them to meet daily health, social and well being needs, in line with personal recovery goals, and facilitating engagement with services.

The post holder will be anticipated to hold honorary contracts with relevant services, attend MDT meetings within relevant services, and adhere to their policies and procedures in relation to record keeping. They will also be expected to provide feedback and occasional reports on service users at MDTs and any other relevant forum.

A full job description can be found the documents attached to this advert.

Person Specification

Other

Essential

• - Ability to manage time and workload effectively and to balance various demands.
• - Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner.
• - Able to interact effectively with colleagues and staff from other disciplines and agencies.
• - Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively

Qualifications

Essential

• - Educated to A-level or equivalent or NVQ level 2 or above in Health or Social care qualification
• - Knowledge of the work in eating disorders

Desirable

• - Educated to degree level in psychology, sociology or another relevant subject.
• - Level 4 counselling or above

Experience

Essential

• - Expert by experience (fully recovered) or lived experience of disordered eating and disorders (fully recovered)
• - Experience of working within the mental health field for a minimum of 12 months
• - Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets
• - Ability to manage own caseload and time
• - Experience with routine outcome monitoring

Desirable

• - Experience of working with individuals with eating disorders
• - Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating outcomes

Skills and competencies

Essential

• - High level of interpersonal communication (written and spoken) skills, including the capacity to communicate and work in emotionally challenging settings.
• - Able to develop good IT skills for use of in administration, reporting, data analysis and presentation.
• - Ability to work independently and know when to ask for and use supervision.
• - Ability to develop therapeutic/empahetic relationships with clients
• - An ability to link and apply psychological theory, principles, understanding and knowledge to applied practice.
• - An awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from diverse backgrounds including black and ethnic minorities.
• - Awareness of boundary issues between professionals, clients and family members/carers.
• - Ability to tolerate, support and manage own responses where clients are expressing emotional distress.
• - Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice

Knowledge

Essential

• - Demonstrates an understanding of a range of eating disorders
• - Knowledge of child and vulnerable adult protection and safeguarding and other relevant legislation

Training

Essential

• - Willingness to complete BEAT Peer Recovery Worker Training

Desirable

• - Training in Eating Disorders

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

South Yorkshire Eating Disorders Association

Address

Riverdale Grange

93 Riverdale Road

Sheffield

S10 3FE

Employer's website

https://www.syeda.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)