Job summary
RECONNECT is a new care after custody service that seeks to improve the continuity of care of people leaving prison with an identified health need.This involves working with them before they leave to support their transition to community-based services, thereby safeguarding health gains made whilst in prison.
RECONNECT services aim to improve the wellbeing of people leaving prison, reduce inequalities and address health-related drivers of offending behaviours. Whilst not a clinical service, RECONNECT offers liaison, advocacy, signposting, and support to facilitate engagement with community-based health and support services.
RECONNECT services also aims to:
- Increase access to and uptake up of healthcare or relevant support services for individuals who have identified health needs upon release from prison or IRCs who would otherwise struggle to engage.
- Ensure that the health needs of individuals who are leaving prison are met.
- Ensure a safe transition from prison to community-based healthcare and support services in England.
Provide follow-up to ensure engagement is maintained
Main duties of the job
The purpose and scope of this role is to encourage referred individuals, including those with multiple needs, to engage with RECONNECT and/or Enhanced RECONNECT services, other health agencies and referral pathways. Providing engagement, emotional support and advocacy, is essential to the role, as the Peer Support Worker will need to support the opinion of the individual receiving support. The role will involve supporting individuals to navigate through release from the criminal justice system and immigration removal centres to access support for mental and physical health needs as well as other identified health needs, including substance misuse (alcohol and drugs), homelessness, learning disabilities, and challenging behaviour. The role requires a high level of empathy and compassion, as it provides emotional, and where appropriate, practical support to individuals. This will include working with Practitioners to support a pathway of support for individuals, working with their families and friends, supporting them to access other agencies. A key component of the role will be providing information, advice, and guidance, requiring resilience and diplomacy, with the ability to encourage and motivate people
About us
About the Trust:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex.
Working in Sussex:
Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed
Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London
With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure
We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Our staff agree, with 82% of people in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.
Other key staff survey results include:
70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work
79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles
Job description
Job responsibilities
The role is Monday to Friday from 0800-1600hrs
Essential Qualifications-
- Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
- A recognised Peer Support qualification
- Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
It is essential that applicants have lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties or other vulnerabilities and has had experience of the criminal justice system and / or immigration removal centres.
- Peer Support Specialists engage with people with a range of vulnerabilities to show empathy, share experience, inspire hope and promote recovery with the aim of assisting individuals to gain and maintain independence in the community
- Peer Support Specialists are part of the Sussex Liaison and Diversion/Reconnect Team. The role is to focus on the holistic support needs of service users. Self-managed care is essential to this: the supported person is encouraged to assess their own needs and to engage with support/careplans
- Using your lived experience and peer support skills you will work alongside individuals to understand their experiences of mental health and recovery, and to maximise their strengths, resources and skills.
- Peer support is delivered through promoting empowerment and choice and giving the opportunity for the exploration of meaning and purpose, learning from shared experiences and strategies.
- Work is guided by the Reconnect Team Leader. Supervision will be used to continuously reflect on, evaluate and develop Peer practice
- You will be a mentor for a least one peer support worker and use your experience in peer support to help them develop their role and impact.
- You will be involved in running peer led groups and may be co-facilitating psychoeducational groups.
- You will be liaising with many other professionals and supporting individuals to access support and opportunities through the voluntary and community organisations, education, Recovery College, work and leisure.
Key result areas are;
- To support individuals and groups using a peer approach
- To be a positive role model for other people overcoming mental health challenges, other workers and members of the public
- Use parts of your recovery story to inspire hope in others where appropriate
- To use your peer support expertise to develop the role and others understanding of peer support, including the team, service users and carers
- To use appropriate skills in engaging with individuals with a broad range of vulnerabilities including mental health challenges, eg asking open-ended questions, validating strengths and experiences and using empowering language to overcome negative self talk.
- To support and enable individuals with mental health challenges to resolve conflicts and regain control, responsibility, hope and enjoyment based on the principles of peer supported recovery such as sharing your personal recovery story.
- To assist the Reconnect team to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care plans which may or may not overlap with the self-managed care plan developed by the individual
- To support service users in identifying both strengths and early signs of relapse and to support service users in identifying possible triggers or causes of relapse
- To provide support to individuals in gaining choice, developing and managing meaning and purpose of life and independence and maintaining dignity and self respect.
- To support individuals in meeting holistic needs (education, welfare, employment, financial, leisure, housing, spiritual, etc) in partnership with other individuals, care team and agencies and within a recovery environment
To promote and make service users aware of personal strengths and social networks, and highlight their ability to engage with these.
- To engage actively in peer and professional supervision and apply the learning to working with clients of the service
- To assist the Practitioner/ Team Lead to plan, implement and evaluate support plans To run peer support groups, and co-facilitate other groups as required, including online groups
- To undertake any other such duties as may reasonably fall within the remit of the post, as required by the Manager/Supervisor
- To co-deliver educational training to service users and staff as part of the recovery college
- To ensure all service users are aware of community activities which may be of benefit to them and how these can be accessed
Job description
Job responsibilities
The role is Monday to Friday from 0800-1600hrs
Essential Qualifications-
- Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
- A recognised Peer Support qualification
- Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
It is essential that applicants have lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties or other vulnerabilities and has had experience of the criminal justice system and / or immigration removal centres.
- Peer Support Specialists engage with people with a range of vulnerabilities to show empathy, share experience, inspire hope and promote recovery with the aim of assisting individuals to gain and maintain independence in the community
- Peer Support Specialists are part of the Sussex Liaison and Diversion/Reconnect Team. The role is to focus on the holistic support needs of service users. Self-managed care is essential to this: the supported person is encouraged to assess their own needs and to engage with support/careplans
- Using your lived experience and peer support skills you will work alongside individuals to understand their experiences of mental health and recovery, and to maximise their strengths, resources and skills.
- Peer support is delivered through promoting empowerment and choice and giving the opportunity for the exploration of meaning and purpose, learning from shared experiences and strategies.
- Work is guided by the Reconnect Team Leader. Supervision will be used to continuously reflect on, evaluate and develop Peer practice
- You will be a mentor for a least one peer support worker and use your experience in peer support to help them develop their role and impact.
- You will be involved in running peer led groups and may be co-facilitating psychoeducational groups.
- You will be liaising with many other professionals and supporting individuals to access support and opportunities through the voluntary and community organisations, education, Recovery College, work and leisure.
Key result areas are;
- To support individuals and groups using a peer approach
- To be a positive role model for other people overcoming mental health challenges, other workers and members of the public
- Use parts of your recovery story to inspire hope in others where appropriate
- To use your peer support expertise to develop the role and others understanding of peer support, including the team, service users and carers
- To use appropriate skills in engaging with individuals with a broad range of vulnerabilities including mental health challenges, eg asking open-ended questions, validating strengths and experiences and using empowering language to overcome negative self talk.
- To support and enable individuals with mental health challenges to resolve conflicts and regain control, responsibility, hope and enjoyment based on the principles of peer supported recovery such as sharing your personal recovery story.
- To assist the Reconnect team to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care plans which may or may not overlap with the self-managed care plan developed by the individual
- To support service users in identifying both strengths and early signs of relapse and to support service users in identifying possible triggers or causes of relapse
- To provide support to individuals in gaining choice, developing and managing meaning and purpose of life and independence and maintaining dignity and self respect.
- To support individuals in meeting holistic needs (education, welfare, employment, financial, leisure, housing, spiritual, etc) in partnership with other individuals, care team and agencies and within a recovery environment
To promote and make service users aware of personal strengths and social networks, and highlight their ability to engage with these.
- To engage actively in peer and professional supervision and apply the learning to working with clients of the service
- To assist the Practitioner/ Team Lead to plan, implement and evaluate support plans To run peer support groups, and co-facilitate other groups as required, including online groups
- To undertake any other such duties as may reasonably fall within the remit of the post, as required by the Manager/Supervisor
- To co-deliver educational training to service users and staff as part of the recovery college
- To ensure all service users are aware of community activities which may be of benefit to them and how these can be accessed
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
- A recognised Peer Support qualification
- Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Significant experience of working with people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity in health/social care/teaching setting
- Experience of offering peer support with individuals in a statutory or voluntary setting
- Experience of working with groups/activities
- Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties or other vulnerabilities
- Lived experience of the criminal justice system and / or immigration removal centres
- Managing personal mental health and wellbeing
- Comprehensive knowledge of Peer Support, Recovery and Wellbeing in mental health and ability to apply this throughout your work
- Experience of working as part of a team
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
- A recognised Peer Support qualification
- Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Significant experience of working with people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity in health/social care/teaching setting
- Experience of offering peer support with individuals in a statutory or voluntary setting
- Experience of working with groups/activities
- Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties or other vulnerabilities
- Lived experience of the criminal justice system and / or immigration removal centres
- Managing personal mental health and wellbeing
- Comprehensive knowledge of Peer Support, Recovery and Wellbeing in mental health and ability to apply this throughout your work
- Experience of working as part of a team
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
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).
