Primary Care Mental Health Support Workers

Job description

Job responsibilities

Inclusive Engagement

1. Understand mental health inequalities in Leeds and how some communities are at higher risk of poorer mental health than others.

2. Deliver active in- reach into communities as prioritised by the annual health inequalities action plan for the LMWS, working alongside specialist organisations.

3. To work as part of a team delivering open access and targeted drop-ins across Leeds, helping a broad range of people get access to the LMWS, with a focus on the most deprived communities.

4. Having helpful conversations with prospective service users /patients, carers and referrers, so that they understand the offer and limits of the LMWS and are guided to the right support for them.

5. Signpost and support people to the right intervention or service for them, internally or externally.

6. To widen LMWS inclusivity through developing relationships with key stakeholders, networking and promoting the service.

7. Networking, capacity and promoting the LMWS by attending events and developing relationships with a range of stakeholders to increase and widen access to the service, with particular reference to defined target groups.

8. To work to actively combat mental health inequalities, applying your knowledge of the social determinants of mental health in Leeds, and how some communities are at greater risk of poorer mental health

Service delivery

9. To use your knowledge of protected characteristics and the latest demographic intelligence to plan and facilitate interventions and activities alongside colleagues and service users.

10. Support people to overcome barriers to accessing mental health interventions in the LMWS this could mean accompanying people to appointments, ensuring that a buddy is in place, helping people with online resources etc

11. Support the delivery of workshops and other group interventions delivered by the LMWS, to increase capacity across the service and ensure inclusivity for people who may otherwise find groups hard to access and remain within the service.

12. Work alongside volunteers who deliver peer support interventions as part of the LMWS.

13. To carry a caseload of service users and support them through brief one-to-one interventions, groups and/or enabling them to take part in or lead peer-led groups.

14. Supporting a diverse range of colleagues (for example cognitive behavioural therapists or psychological wellbeing practitioners) to co-deliver clinical interventions together

15. To co-design and deliver structured and non-structured group interventions which protect and improve mental health. These could be targeted at specific communities of interest, neighbourhoods or universal.

16. To take a co-productive and inclusive approach to service user involvement, encouraging and supporting a diverse range of service users to get involved in the delivery and ongoing leadership of the service.

General

17. To establish respectful, sensitive, professional relationships with people recognising the assets and strengths of individuals. To positively manage risk and recovery to enable people to meet their full potential.

18. To proactively feed information and intelligence into working groups and management structures, in order that the insight you gain as a front line deliverer of the service influences its future activities, service development and direction.

19. Participate in team meetings and other meetings as required.

20. To ensure that client records and other information systems are completed accurately and within agreed timescales.

21. To complete monitoring (including diversity monitoring) and evaluation of work undertaken in line with required timescales and to a high standard.

22. To maintain up to date records required for the effective running of the project, in line with GDPR.

23. To be inducted, supervised, performance managed and appraised in line with Community Links performance management policies and procedures.

24. To be responsible for personal learning and development where appropriate and undertake training, both mandatory and optional, to increase knowledge, skills and awareness.

25. Keep up-to-date with policies, guidelines, procedures and practices.

26. To work at all times as part of a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary team. This includes working with other staff who are dispersed across a broad range of external organisations, attending team and staff meetings and developing a teamwork approach to all aspects of work.

27. To operate within the aims, policies and practices of Community Links and the LMWS at all times and to be committed to and promote the organisations equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory policies.

28. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with Community Links policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure.

29. To be aware of and employ the general practices of Community Links Safeguarding and Health and Safety policies and ensure these are adhered to at all times

30. To work flexibly in accordance with the needs of the Service, including undertaking out of hours and weekend work as required.

31. Represent Community Links in a knowledgeable and professional manner at all times.

32. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times.

33. The post holder may be required to carry out similar duties in other parts of Community Links and the LMWS to contribute to the effective operation of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• None

Desirable

• None

Experience

Essential

• Direct experience of working with people experiencing mental health difficulties and challenging behaviour.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of working with Black and other Ethnic Minority people and/ or disadvantaged communities.
• Experience of working one to one, or community based with client group.
• Liaising and developing links with other agencies.
• Experience of working with statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
• Monitoring and evaluating systems including record keeping.

Desirable

• Advocacy work.

Skills

Essential

• Mental health assessment skills including risk assessment and support planning.
• Case management skills.
• Ability to provide emotional and practical support.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Good written and communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise own workload, including agreeing and meeting targets/priorities.
• Demonstrate the ability to undertake work with high degree of accuracy and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to use common IT packages e.g. databases, spreadsheets, Microsoft word and outlook.
• Ability to maintain confidences (within the policy of the organisation).

Desirable

• Access to a car for work purposes and hold a full current UK driving licence.
• Ability to speak a community language.

Attitude & Disposition

Essential

• Commitment to Community Links aims and values.
• Commitment to respecting diversity, anti-discriminatory/anti-oppressive practices and equal opportunities.
• Commitment to personal development, learning and reflective practice.
• Demonstrate a commitment and enthusiasm for working with our service user group.
• Commitment to the principles of coproduction and supporting others to deliver according to these principles.
• Able to build and maintain relationships whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Demonstrate a willingness to participate in shaping the future of the organisation and service by taking on responsibilities and projects in addition to core workload.
• Must demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of services and interventions.
• Commitment to Community Links Personal Responsibility Framework and promoting this with other people.
• Open to change in line with the needs of the service/organisation.
• A commitment to working in partnership with service users, peers and volunteers.
• Willingness to work flexibly according to needs of the service.
• Commitment to ensuring that the client group remains the primary focus of the Centres work.
• Solution focused approach to work.
• Resilience.

Equal Opportunities

Essential

• Must be able to recognise discrimination in its many forms and be willing to put into practice Community Links Equality Policies.
• Must be sensitive to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of services.
• A commitment to provide high quality services to the diverse communities of Leeds.

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential

• Knowledge of mental health issues and its effects on individuals functioning.
• Knowledge and understanding of working with Black and minority ethnic people, cultures and communities
• Knowledge of social inclusion and co-production.
• Knowledge of mental health services, particularly primary care mental health services.

Desirable

• Knowledge on Mental Health Legislation.
• Knowledge on Change Management.

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

Community Links

Address

3 Limewood Road

Seacroft

Leeds

West Yorkshire

LS14 1AB

Employer's website

https://www.inspirenorth.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)