Service User & Carer Participation Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

Hours: 30 hours Salary: £25,027.20 per annum (pro rata)

Holidays: 25 days per year plus 8 public holidays (pro rata)

Period of Notice: 1 week during probation; 4 weeks thereafter

Probationary Period: 6 Months

Based at: Swansea

Responsible to: Involvement Lead

Role Purpose:

The role of the Service User and Carer Participation Officer (SUCPO) is to provide direct support to service users and carers (aged 18+,) who have been engaged either directly or indirectly with Mental Health services in the County of Swansea. Ensuring that this vulnerable client group have their voices heard and are meaningfully involved in the planning, design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of mental health services across Swansea Bay University Health Board. The SUCPO will be required to work in direct partnership with representatives of, and partners to, SBUHB, including Voluntary Councils and third sector organisations in the area. The salary grading for this post is a Team Leader level, therefore the post-holder will also hold line management responsibilities and play a key role in the future development of services within the region.

Main duties/responsibilities:

To work with service users and carers who engage with mental health services, the statutory and non-statutory sector to provide or arrange the support mechanisms needed for involvement in the planning, design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of mental health services.

To facilitate and further develop service user and carer networks that currently exist within the Health Board.

To develop alternative and creative ways to engage service users and carers in the participation process.

To work jointly with the voluntary and statutory sector to agree principles of service user and carer involvement.

To engage service users and carers who use mental health services in preparing for and participating in meetings with service providers and commissioners.

To assist individuals who engage with mental health services to participate in the recruitment and training process of service providers.

To assist service users and carers, engaged with mental health services to participate in any other events where their involvement is required.

To support service users and carers in meetings, raising, discussing, and responding to issues about mental health services.

To work closely with service providers and commissioners to develop and provide appropriate training packages for individuals engaged with mental health services to enable their effective participation.

To advise agencies on the development of policies, procedures and structures that would enable improved user involvement at service and planning levels.

To monitor, review and evaluate service user and carers input and involvement in the above, using quantitative and qualitative methods.

To manage a staff team, leading on performance.

To provide direct supervision and appraisal of staff, monitoring performance, identifying and supporting role specific training and development needs of the staff team.

Communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with service users, carers, and other professionals using multiple formats (i.e. face-to-face, telephone, in writing etc.).

Maintain professional relationships with service users, carers, colleagues and other professionals.

To develop knowledge of local services and foster links with voluntary service providers, keeping up to date with any service changes and development.

Develop and maintain productive working relationships with service commissioners, statutory and 3rd sector agencies.

Support Senior Managers in actively promoting Adferiads services with existing and new stakeholders, sharing knowledge, learning and best practice internally and externally as part of local delivery groups.

Represent Adferiad, internally and externally at local, regional and national events; promoting its services and contribute to local, regional and national Adferiad campaigns, events and projects.

Work with Adferiads social media and Communications team to ensure services and events are promoted online, taking part in constructive, focused and positive social media campaigning and activity where appropriate.

To assist senior managers in identifying opportunities for additional and/or new delivery/services/projects; providing key local information & knowledge to inform the preparation of tenders and grant applications.

Attending training courses and meetings as required..

Maintain robust records and statistics required to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the service in line with Adferiad systems.

To collate monitoring reports and evaluations in accordance with the contract.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified/willing to work towards NVQ 3 in Health and social care or hold equivalent qualifications.

Desirable

• NVQ Level 2/3 in Health & Social Care, or other relevant qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with vulnerable client groups, including individuals with enduring mental illnesses and/or those who care for someone with a mental illness.
• Working with and developing groups.
• Involving and working in partnership with a diverse range of people.
• Experience of working with disadvantaged groups/individuals.

Desirable

• Experience of working in community based services.
• Experience of liaising with other specialist and non-specialist agencies.
• Experience of developing/ managing a staff team.
• Lived experience of mental health or caring for someone with mental health.

Skills

Essential

• Prioritise workload and work under pressure to deadlines and changing demands on time.
• Able to communicate clearly & effectively with a wide range of people and build and maintain constructive working positive relationships.
• Good IT, report writing and note keeping skills, including maintaining all client records as required.
• Ability to keywork and engage with a number of people who have a complex range of support needs.
• Prepared to work on own and use own initiative, and able to work as part of a team.
• Good understanding of the benefits and challenges of service user and carer involvement.
• Must be able to facilitate groups, meetings etc.
• Ability to manage a team and lead by example, providing encouragement and support.

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

Adferiad Recovery

Address

W C A D A

St. James Crescent

Swansea

West Glamorgan

SA1 6DR

Employer's website

http://adferiad.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)