Peer Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

*To assist individuals in their Recovery process through sharing lived experiences as Peer Support Workers

To support service users to direct their own Recovery process through encouraging them to work collaboratively with the team to identify their own goals and needs

To assist service users to identify their strengths, personal interests and goals and support them to access and participate in activities which meet these whilst demonstrating acceptance of and respect towards service users' personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.

To promote and support service users to maintain and/or develop positive relationships with those within their community and learn how to improve or eliminate unhealthy relationships.

To positively promote and support inter-dependent living with their community through developing and maintaining extensive knowledge and links within the communities served by ELFT and NELFT and/or in the area the individual service users wish to return to, and supporting them to access these resources, e.g. in relation to vocation, education and leisure.

To act as a role model and mentor for Recovery using their own experience to inspire hope in others; demonstrating coping skills, sharing life experiences and lessons learned where appropriate.

To adhere to ELCFS and ELFT Health and Safety protocols To ensure any concerns regarding an individual's wellbeing, including issues of safeguarding, are raised with the team.

To participate in the promotion of the Recovery Peer Support Worker role and the delivery of activities to all services users and professionals within the team.

To offer practical and emotional support, through lived experience, with the challenges associated with making the transition from hospital to the community.

*Peer Support Workers do not provide psychotherapy or counselling services and the support given is best described as life coaching. They also do not provide assistance with general household tasks, in particular there will be absolutely no handling of cash or driving service users to healthcare appointments.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

• oELFT accreditation certificate in Peer Support Work

Experience

Essential

• Post holders must have direct, personal, lived experience of using mental health services as a service user.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a small team.
• Supporting individuals to resolve their own problems.
• Working within a referral system.
• Supporting people with addiction issues/ dual diagnosis, to work towards recovery.
• Working with a range of disadvantaged groups e.g. disabled people, BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Commitment to equal opportunities and confidentiality.
• An ability to deal with information in a confidential manner and respond with sensitivity to the opinions of others.

Desirable

• Commitment to involving service users in their own recovery.
• Sound understanding of peer support work and its role in the recovery from mental health problems.
• Ability to work in a small team.
• Empathetic to needs of individuals.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.Excellent active listening skills and ability to ask open questions.
• Clear understanding of how to manage boundaries.
• Flexible and accommodating to needs of service users.
• Ability to support peers to identify what's important to them.
• Ability to work with a diverse range of service users.
• Imaginative, determined, committed and solution-focused.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Enabling service users to make their own choices and decisions without offering advice.
• Good organisational skills e.g. diary management, managing appointments with service users.
• IT skills e.g. Microsoft Office.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

East London Community forensic Service

26 Shore Road

London

E9 7TA

Employer's website

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