Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Peer Support Worker

The closing date is 17 July 2025

Job summary

The Rainbow Mother and Baby Unit is a specialist 6 bedded unit. The unit provides mental health care and treatment for women during the late stages of pregnancy and up to one year after the birth of their baby.

The Rainbow Unit aims to:

  • Deliver the highest quality of care to mothers and theirbabies in a safe, friendly and supportive environment.
  • Maintain the safety of all mothers and their babies whilst treating the mother's mental illness.
  • Offer support to the families and carers involved in the mother's and or baby's care.
  • Help sustain the developing relationship between mother, baby and other family members.

Through the understanding of the Peer Support Worker (PSW) in relation to lived experiences within inpatient settings, the hope and reflection of recovery can be promoted within perinatal services

Main duties of the job

Using your own lived experiences, the role of the Peer Support Worker (PSW) is to support and understand the impact of accessing services when experiencing mental health challenges.

As a PSW, you will work collaboratively with service users and the wider MDT to support the implementing of care and promoting recovery.

You will provide support and understanding to care givers and family members whilst underpinning recovery principles and socially inclusive practice

PSW's can support in building therapeutic relationships with service users to promote choice, offer advocacy support and understanding of position through lived experiences of being admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit.

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

  • Season Ticket Loans
  • NHS discounts for staff
  • Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
  • Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
  • The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
  • Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
  • Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Details

Date posted

04 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

364-A-9143

Job locations

The Linden Centre

Broomfield Hospital

Chelmsford

CM1 7LF


Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Peer support worker, you will have a wide range of responsibilities.

working one to one and supporting service users or patients

helping to support individuals to develop goals

supporting people in care planning

helping people engage with activities

supporting group work

helping support people develop recovery plans

regular 1-1 meetings including review with supervisor to discuss any challenges and talk through sessions

meeting regularly with a small group of volunteers to discuss general topics, daily guidelines, and handovers.

participating in activities such as tutoring, mentoring, or creating and running a workshop for a class as volunteers or one-on-one meetings.

providing guidance, tutoring, and social support to volunteers, fellow students, or others interested in learning more about PSW.

coordinating volunteer opportunities with local non-profit organizations or community groups.

organizing support groups or peer-led clubs focused on PSW.

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Peer support worker, you will have a wide range of responsibilities.

working one to one and supporting service users or patients

helping to support individuals to develop goals

supporting people in care planning

helping people engage with activities

supporting group work

helping support people develop recovery plans

regular 1-1 meetings including review with supervisor to discuss any challenges and talk through sessions

meeting regularly with a small group of volunteers to discuss general topics, daily guidelines, and handovers.

participating in activities such as tutoring, mentoring, or creating and running a workshop for a class as volunteers or one-on-one meetings.

providing guidance, tutoring, and social support to volunteers, fellow students, or others interested in learning more about PSW.

coordinating volunteer opportunities with local non-profit organizations or community groups.

organizing support groups or peer-led clubs focused on PSW.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable

  • Completed Peer Support Worker training
  • Completed further training within mental health sector

Experience

Essential

  • Ability to demonstrate personal knowledge of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges with lived experience
  • Experience of working with people with mental health challenges and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services

Desirable

  • Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey with service users, carers and others
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable

  • Completed Peer Support Worker training
  • Completed further training within mental health sector

Experience

Essential

  • Ability to demonstrate personal knowledge of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges with lived experience
  • Experience of working with people with mental health challenges and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services

Desirable

  • Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey with service users, carers and others

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).

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.

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

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Linden Centre

Broomfield Hospital

Chelmsford

CM1 7LF


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Linden Centre

Broomfield Hospital

Chelmsford

CM1 7LF


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Ward Manager

Jodie Frost

jodie.frost@nhs.net

01245315629

Details

Date posted

04 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

364-A-9143

Job locations

The Linden Centre

Broomfield Hospital

Chelmsford

CM1 7LF


Supporting documents

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