Job summary
Do you have lived experience of mental health problems and/or the Criminal Justice System/Forensic Services and want to use your recovery journey to support other people facing similar challenges?
This post is recruiting for a Peer Support Worker within Oxford Health Forensic Services. Peer Support Workers (PSWs) are people who have their own lived experience of mental health challenges or have supported someone with mental health challenges. They use empathy informed by their own experiences to support service users and families who are accessing mental health services.
*This post attracts an RSU Lead of £1,446 per annum on top of your annual salary (pro-rata)
Main duties of the job
This is an exciting new post recruiting for a Peer Support Worker on Chaffron ward, an 8-bedded medium secure forensic mental health ward for men, based at Marlborough House in Milton Keynes.
The core function of this post is to offer peer support to service users within Oxford Health Forensic Service. Peer Support Workers model the recovery principles in their practice, together with personal responsibility, self-awareness and self-care whilst undertaking the duties of the role.
We're looking for people who are compassionate, can work well in a team, highly motivated and have excellent verbal communication skills. You will be provided with specific Peer Support Worker training and will complete the nationally recognised care certificate in the role.
The Peer Support Worker role sees the introduction of lived experience into everyday practice. Peer Support Workers offer a combination of one to one and group work and will work within the multi-disciplinary team to support a service user's recovery journey. The post holder will facilitate formal and informal learning, working with staff in clinical practice and supporting clinical teams to develop recovery-based practice.
About us
At Marlborough House, many of our service users have had experience of the criminal justice system in the past. As part of Marlborough House, Chaffron ward has a focus on rehabilitation and supporting patients to move on to more independent settings.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible
Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive:"Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"
Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
- Excellent opportunities for career progression
- Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
- 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
- Competitive pension scheme
- Lease car scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
- Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lived experience:
- Drawing on lived experience of mental health to provide emotional and practical support to an allocated group of service users to promote their recovery.
- To support service users to engage effectively with care being offered and access appropriate services
- Drawing upon lived experience and using active listening to inspire hope, offer empathy, empowerment, confidence building and validate a service users feelings
- To build relationships that are founded on the value of mutuality which will facilitate the provision of regular and practical support, both one to one and via group facilitation, to service users in developing and managing independence and maintaining dignity and self-respect
- To positively promote independent living of service users through role-modelling individual recovery journeys
- To have the individual service users needs always at the forefront of the PSWs practice and to use the skills incorporated in the Peer Support Training to underpin their practice
- To build rapport with service users, whilst maintaining professional boundaries, drawing on both experience and knowledge of the service user perspective and an evidence-based approach.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lived experience:
- Drawing on lived experience of mental health to provide emotional and practical support to an allocated group of service users to promote their recovery.
- To support service users to engage effectively with care being offered and access appropriate services
- Drawing upon lived experience and using active listening to inspire hope, offer empathy, empowerment, confidence building and validate a service users feelings
- To build relationships that are founded on the value of mutuality which will facilitate the provision of regular and practical support, both one to one and via group facilitation, to service users in developing and managing independence and maintaining dignity and self-respect
- To positively promote independent living of service users through role-modelling individual recovery journeys
- To have the individual service users needs always at the forefront of the PSWs practice and to use the skills incorporated in the Peer Support Training to underpin their practice
- To build rapport with service users, whilst maintaining professional boundaries, drawing on both experience and knowledge of the service user perspective and an evidence-based approach.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- The ability to offer specialist support using their personal experience of recovery
- To have experience of working within a supportive and enabling role
Personal qualities
Essential
- Able to use own initiative when appropriate
- The ability to develop and maintain sound working relationships with all members of the multidisciplinary team
Knowledge/Qualification
Desirable
- Knowledge of mental health conditions
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- The ability to offer specialist support using their personal experience of recovery
- To have experience of working within a supportive and enabling role
Personal qualities
Essential
- Able to use own initiative when appropriate
- The ability to develop and maintain sound working relationships with all members of the multidisciplinary team
Knowledge/Qualification
Desirable
- Knowledge of mental health conditions
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
