Peer Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Service Specific

To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.

Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.

Model personal responsibility, self awareness, self belief, self advocacy and hope by appropriate sharing of own recovery story to inspire and instil confidence in service users.

Assist service users in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) if used, and advanced directives to feed into the care planning process.

Share or teach coping, self help and self management techniques within the peer relationship.

Support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self talk.

Facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.

Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.

Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi disciplinary team members, service users and carers.

Ensure that service user recovery goals are integrated into the Trust care planning processes and are reviewed on a regular basis, liaising closely with care coordinators as necessary

Work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual.

Use own initiative, personal experience and job related training in deciding on the approach and interventions required when working with a service user in delivering peer support, in line with supervision, mentor and other peer networks.

Ensure notes are written accordingly into RiO, within the policy of the Trust.

People (HR) Management

Attend team meetings to contribute to care planning and promote the use of self-directed recovery tools.

Attend clinical review meetings to feedback progress on recovery goals.

Support other members of the team in promoting an enablement and recovery focused activities providing insight from a service user's perspective as required.

Training & Development

To participate in regular supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines and Trust policy.

To participate in the Trust annual Appraisal process.

To attend all relevant mandatory training as and when required to do so.

Quality & Patient Safety

Safeguard Children & Vulnerable Adults. To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, disclosing any concerns to line manager of the Safeguarding service.

Implementation of NICE guidance and other statutory / best practice guidelines. (if appropriate)

Infection Control - To be responsible for the prevention and control of infection.

Incident reporting - To report any incidents of harm or near miss in line with the Trust incident reporting policy ensuring appropriate actions are taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

To contribute to the identification, management and reduction of risk in the area of responsibility.

To ensure monitoring of quality and compliance with standards is demonstrable within the service on an ongoing basis.

To be aware of the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients/ clients, visitors and staff

Responsibility for Physical Resources

Has a personal duty of care to ensure all equipment is used safely and effectively, following manufacturer instructions, immediately reporting any defects in accordance with local procedures.

Uses available resources effectively and efficiently.

General

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

To ensure that all duties are carried out to the highest standard and in accordance with currently quality initiatives within the work area.

To comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Confidentiality of Information and to be aware of any changes in these.

To comply at all times with the Trust Information Governance related policies. Staff are required to respect the confidentiality of information about staff, patients and Trust business and in particular the confidentiality and security of personal identifiable information in line with the Data Protection Act. All staff are responsible for ensuring that any data created by them is timely, comprehensive, accurate, and fit for the purposes for which it is intended.

To uphold the values of the Trust.

To comply with the national (Skills for Health) Code of Conduct for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/images/services/code-of-conduct/Code%20of%20Conduct%20Healthcare%20Support.pdf

Mental Effort

The post holder may be required to work flexible hours as required by service need.

The post holder may be required to work in different locations as required by service need.

To ensure day to day practice reflects the highest standards of governance, clinical effectiveness, safety and patient experience.

Emotional Effort

Frequently providing support to colleagues in managing challenging service users in what can be sometimes distressing circumstances.

Working conditions

Role may involve working within a ward or within the community supporting service users as outlined above.

Completion of the Somerset Partnership Peer Support Worker Training within 6 months of contract start date will be a requirement

Completion of a Wellness at Work plan within 2 months of contract start date will be a requirement.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent
• Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS Level or equivalent

Desirable

• Related Health or Social Care qualification
• Willingness to undertake further training relevant to and in line with the development of peer support role.

Experience

Essential

• Lived experience of mental health problems.
• Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role
• Experience of working in a team or a group environment
• Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques
• Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users
• Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
• Knowledge of Mental Health Legislation

Desirable

• Psychiatric inpatient admission
• Experience of working in the public sector
• Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others
• Experience of working across different organisational boundaries
• Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners
• Understanding of the service delivery goals of the care pathway
• Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and the protection of vulnerable adults

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Computer literate
• Ability to work collaboratively with team and wider Trust
• Flexibility and Reliability
• Kind and compassionate nature
• Ability to be assertive
• Ability to undertake reflection as part of learning and personal development
• Insightful to the nature of interpersonal relationships and have the ability to set clear boundaries.

Desirable

• Presentation skills
• Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc.

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

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Foundation House

Wellsprings Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA2 7PQ

Employer's website

https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)