Job summary
The role of Perinatal Peer Support Worker (Perinatal PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges. In the context of CNWL's Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, postholders will have experienced recovery from perinatal mental health challenges and have utilised a Mother and Baby Unit as part of their journey to recovery.
Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Perinatal Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Main duties of the job
Coombe Wood is a highly regarded specialist perinatal service providing inpatient support for pregnant (from 32 weeks) & postnatal women experiencing mental health /emotional difficulties. Coombe Wood work closely and collaboratively with community specialist mental health teams, maternity, health visitors and social services
Using your own lived experience as an inpatient on a Mother and Baby Unit in their Perinatal Period, recovery principles and socially inclusive practice. The post-holder will support service users in their personal recovery journeys. This means providing peer support for mum's who experience similar mental health and social needs during the perinatal period. They will foster a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, to promote choice, self-determination, opportunities and hope.
About us
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Central and North West London NHS Trust expects all Peer Support Workers to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members.
As a Peer Support Worker we expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others better
We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people's differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic.
We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs.
We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
They will raise awareness about Trust and local resources and opportunities that may assist people in maintaining their recovery. They will encourage and support service users to use resources provided whilst on the unit, as well as community and childrens resources that are available to them, and support the Mother and Baby Unit with developing links with these resources. They will act as an advocate for recovery within the team and an ambassador for recovery for the Trust and with partner agencies.
The post-holder will be required to work as part of a multidisciplinary team in inpatient settings with some shift work hours outside of 9am 5pm, to best support mothers on the unit.
The role of Perinatal Peer Support Worker (Perinatal PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges. In the context of CNWLs Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, postholder's will have experienced recovery from perinatal mental health challenges and utilised the support of a Mother and Baby Unit in relation to this. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Perinatal Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Through sharing the wisdom of own lived experience, the Perinatal Peer Support Worker will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others, taking a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work, alongside other Trust recovery champions
Job description
Job responsibilities
They will raise awareness about Trust and local resources and opportunities that may assist people in maintaining their recovery. They will encourage and support service users to use resources provided whilst on the unit, as well as community and childrens resources that are available to them, and support the Mother and Baby Unit with developing links with these resources. They will act as an advocate for recovery within the team and an ambassador for recovery for the Trust and with partner agencies.
The post-holder will be required to work as part of a multidisciplinary team in inpatient settings with some shift work hours outside of 9am 5pm, to best support mothers on the unit.
The role of Perinatal Peer Support Worker (Perinatal PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges. In the context of CNWLs Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, postholder's will have experienced recovery from perinatal mental health challenges and utilised the support of a Mother and Baby Unit in relation to this. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Perinatal Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Through sharing the wisdom of own lived experience, the Perinatal Peer Support Worker will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others, taking a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work, alongside other Trust recovery champions
Person Specification
other
Essential
- A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate
- Evidenced lived inpatient experience on a Mother and Baby Unit
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training, (including accredited peer support worker training if not previously undertaken)
- Willingness to undertake or completion of Level 4 LSBU accredited course "Developing Expertise in Peer Support" course.
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable
- Completed peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
- Evidence of further training in relation to personal recovery principles
- Accredited certificate in Life Coaching
Experience
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges
- Experience of having personally accessed Perinatal Mental Health Services similar to the service they are applying to work in
- Experience of working with people with mental health problems and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
- Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey with service users, carers and others
- Experience of working both independently as well as providing group and 1:1 activities
- Recent experience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker
- Delivery of Recovery College courses
Skills, Knowledge, Ability
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery principles and values
- Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
- Effective listening skills
- Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
- Ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
- Ability to see solutions rather than problems
- Good marketing and presentation skills
- Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower others
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications
- Ability to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently with guidance
- Excellent planning, self-management and organisational skills
- Effective team player skills
- Ability to challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and discriminatory practice in an effective manner
- Ability to demonstrate practical skills to provide support with daily living activities
- Emotional intelligence and reflectivity with ability to work effectively with others to bring about change in a complex and dynamic organisation
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications.
Desirable
- Working knowledge of the principles of coproduction
- Interviewing skills
- Knowledge of mental health policies and legislation that may contribute to support for service users
Numeracy and Literacy
Essential
- High level of written literacy and numeracy
- IT skills including word and power point
Person Specification
other
Essential
- A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate
- Evidenced lived inpatient experience on a Mother and Baby Unit
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training, (including accredited peer support worker training if not previously undertaken)
- Willingness to undertake or completion of Level 4 LSBU accredited course "Developing Expertise in Peer Support" course.
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable
- Completed peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
- Evidence of further training in relation to personal recovery principles
- Accredited certificate in Life Coaching
Experience
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges
- Experience of having personally accessed Perinatal Mental Health Services similar to the service they are applying to work in
- Experience of working with people with mental health problems and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
- Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey with service users, carers and others
- Experience of working both independently as well as providing group and 1:1 activities
- Recent experience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker
- Delivery of Recovery College courses
Skills, Knowledge, Ability
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery principles and values
- Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
- Effective listening skills
- Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
- Ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
- Ability to see solutions rather than problems
- Good marketing and presentation skills
- Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower others
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications
- Ability to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently with guidance
- Excellent planning, self-management and organisational skills
- Effective team player skills
- Ability to challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and discriminatory practice in an effective manner
- Ability to demonstrate practical skills to provide support with daily living activities
- Emotional intelligence and reflectivity with ability to work effectively with others to bring about change in a complex and dynamic organisation
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications.
Desirable
- Working knowledge of the principles of coproduction
- Interviewing skills
- Knowledge of mental health policies and legislation that may contribute to support for service users
Numeracy and Literacy
Essential
- High level of written literacy and numeracy
- IT skills including word and power point
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit
Park Royal Centre for Mental Health
Acton Lane London
NW10 7FL
Employer's website
https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)
