Job summary
Do you have prior lived experience of ill-mental health, either yourself, or as a carer?
This post is recruiting for a Peer Support Worker within the Oxford Health Oxfordshire Adult Mental Health Service.
Please note: This role may involve working at one or all of the following hubs; Abingdon, Didcot and Wallingford. If you have a preference for one of these bases please indicate this on your application
Peer Support Workers (PSWs) are people who have their own lived experience of mental health challenges or have supported/cared for someone with mental health challenges. They use empathy informed by their own experiences to support service users/families who are accessing mental health services.
We're looking for people who are compassionate, can work well in a team, highly motivated and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will be provided with training for the role and given the opportunity to complete the national recognised care certificate.
Main duties of the job
The Peer Support Worker role sees the introduction of lived experience into everyday practice. PSW's offer a combination of group and one to one work and will work within the multi-disciplinary team to support a service users 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.
The core function of this post is to offer peer support to service users within an acute mental health ward. The Peer Support Worker will demonstrate best practice in relation to the application of recovery principles to practice. Peer Support Workers model the recovery principles together with personal responsibility, self-awareness and self-care whilst undertaking the duties of the role.
Please carefully read all the attached documents before applying.
About us
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
Please note, applications for this role close at approx. midnight on Sunday 27th April. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for 15th and 16th May
Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing hubs provide early intervention for people aged 18 and over who need mental health support. People with mental health challenges are enabled to access support when and where they need it, by the right people. Drop in sessions are run from the hubs for people to be able to access mental health services easily by walking in from the street. Peer support workers are there to offer a listening ear and their wealth of knowledge of local services and community based organisations that support people with mental health problems.
This role may involve working at one of several bases across the South of Oxfordshire, this can be discussed in more detail at interview.
Peer support workers work as part of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals helping to prevent relapse by providing recovery-focused interventions. The hub is linked to local GP surgeries and NHS mental health services.
Service animation video link:https://youtu.be/g1WKA41aTYg
Oxford Health offer the Peer Support Training programme as a nationally recognised accredited Level 3 Apprenticeship (fully funded by Oxford Health).
The Peer Worker Apprenticeship is completed over a period of 15-19 months depending on whether a Peer Support Worker works part time or full time (22.5-37.5 hours).
Eligibility criteria to enrol on the Apprenticeship includes having GCSE/Level 2 Maths and English qualifications. You will be expected to provide evidence of these qualifications. If you do not have these qualifications, we would still welcome your application for consideration, but you would need to complete The Trusts functional skills courses on Maths and/or English whilst in the role before enrolling on the Apprenticeship. All new Peer Support Workers will be provided with training for the role and support from a tutor and supervisor within their working hours.
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. This may include avoidance of admission and/or promoting recovery for inpatients by helping them to identify and build their own support network
- To support service users to engage effectively with care being offered and access appropriate services
- Drawing upon lived experience & using active listening to inspire hope, offer empathy, empowerment, confidence building & 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
- Where appropriate challenge discrimination and reducing the stigma of mental ill health.
- 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
Please note, applications for this role close at approx. midnight on Sunday 27th April. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for 15th and 16th May
Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing hubs provide early intervention for people aged 18 and over who need mental health support. People with mental health challenges are enabled to access support when and where they need it, by the right people. Drop in sessions are run from the hubs for people to be able to access mental health services easily by walking in from the street. Peer support workers are there to offer a listening ear and their wealth of knowledge of local services and community based organisations that support people with mental health problems.
This role may involve working at one of several bases across the South of Oxfordshire, this can be discussed in more detail at interview.
Peer support workers work as part of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals helping to prevent relapse by providing recovery-focused interventions. The hub is linked to local GP surgeries and NHS mental health services.
Service animation video link:https://youtu.be/g1WKA41aTYg
Oxford Health offer the Peer Support Training programme as a nationally recognised accredited Level 3 Apprenticeship (fully funded by Oxford Health).
The Peer Worker Apprenticeship is completed over a period of 15-19 months depending on whether a Peer Support Worker works part time or full time (22.5-37.5 hours).
Eligibility criteria to enrol on the Apprenticeship includes having GCSE/Level 2 Maths and English qualifications. You will be expected to provide evidence of these qualifications. If you do not have these qualifications, we would still welcome your application for consideration, but you would need to complete The Trusts functional skills courses on Maths and/or English whilst in the role before enrolling on the Apprenticeship. All new Peer Support Workers will be provided with training for the role and support from a tutor and supervisor within their working hours.
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. This may include avoidance of admission and/or promoting recovery for inpatients by helping them to identify and build their own support network
- To support service users to engage effectively with care being offered and access appropriate services
- Drawing upon lived experience & using active listening to inspire hope, offer empathy, empowerment, confidence building & 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
- Where appropriate challenge discrimination and reducing the stigma of mental ill health.
- 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
Desirable
- 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
Qualifications/Knowledge
Desirable
- Knowledge of mental health conditions
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- The ability to offer specialist support using their personal experience of recovery
Desirable
- 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
Qualifications/Knowledge
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.
