Job summary
Job overview
- Friendly, positive and good at getting on with all kinds of people?
- Skilled and experienced at supporting people with being part of their community, including people with mental health conditions?
- Good at connecting people and finding local resources and activities?
If so, a job as a Community Navigator may be for you. These innovative posts involve supporting people to become less lonely and to develop more social contact.
The successful applicants will form a team of Community Navigators working within the Complex Depression, Anxiety and Trauma (CDAT) service in Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. You will support people with enduring depression who are supported by CDAT and live in the boroughs of Camden or Islington.
Complex Depression, Anxiety and Trauma service (CDAT) is a friendly and supportive, multi-disciplinary mental health team, which provides care to several hundred adult patients. The Community Navigators will work from the CDAT team, based at St Pancras Hospital. You will provide extra support with loneliness and social relationships to service users taking part in a research trial, in addition to their usual CDAT care.
You will be provided with an induction to working and a bespoke training programme for your role. Experienced practitioners working in the CDAT team will provide you with regular supervision.
Main duties of the job
The posts involve working independently, and visiting people at home and meeting them in the community. Community Navigators will support people individually and coordinate some group support. Your role will focus exclusively on helping people develop meaningful social relationships and connections: the wider CDAT team will continue to provide people with support in other areas of their lives.
The roles will require a high degree of flexibility to meet people at mutually convenient times and to support them in going to community activities of their choice. The amount of work required in any given week or month may vary a little, but the total amount of work for each post will average out at one day per week. Post holders will be paid at this rate each month on an annualized hours basis.
Community Navigators work within the CDAT team and are NHS employees, but will be working in the context of a nationally-funded research study. The post holders will also feedback to the research team and contribute to evaluating this novel programme of support.
Lived experience of mental health problems, or experience of working in services which support people with mental health problems, are assets for this work.
About us
At Camden and Islington NHS foundation trust our staff and service users have worked closely to create a set of values that make sure people who use our services get the best possible chance of a rapid recovery.
We have 3 key priorities which are:
- Early and Effective Intervention,
- Helping People to Live Well
- Research and Innovation
The cultural pillars that help us achieve our key priorities are:
- We value each other
- We are empowered
- We keep things simple
- We are connected
By coming to work at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust you will be joining a Trust with a national reputation for research, where services recognise that research underpins its commitment to providing high quality and innovative clinical care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Community Navigators will bring good knowledge of the local area and its social resources, possess excellent interpersonal skills and expertise in helping people participate in society and social groups. You dont need to be a mental health clinician, but you will have an understanding of and sensitivity to the challenges for someone of living with a long-term, serious mental health condition.
Key responsibilities for the posts include:
- to build supportive, respectful relationships with people using mental health services;
- to identify local resources and opportunities to help someone enhance their social relationships;
- to help people set and achieve goals to improve the quality of their social connections and address loneliness.
A detailed description of the Community Navigator role and its essential and desirable requirements are provided in the Job Description and Person Specification.
A DBS criminal records check will be required. Some travel around the boroughs of Camden and Islington will be involved.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Community Navigators will bring good knowledge of the local area and its social resources, possess excellent interpersonal skills and expertise in helping people participate in society and social groups. You dont need to be a mental health clinician, but you will have an understanding of and sensitivity to the challenges for someone of living with a long-term, serious mental health condition.
Key responsibilities for the posts include:
- to build supportive, respectful relationships with people using mental health services;
- to identify local resources and opportunities to help someone enhance their social relationships;
- to help people set and achieve goals to improve the quality of their social connections and address loneliness.
A detailed description of the Community Navigator role and its essential and desirable requirements are provided in the Job Description and Person Specification.
A DBS criminal records check will be required. Some travel around the boroughs of Camden and Islington will be involved.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma in Mental Health in Mental Health of Social Care or equivalent experience (evidence of extensive and recent paid experience of working with service users, including those who have severe and or enduring mental health, addiction issues or other vulnerable groups)
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of a work role helping others to engage in community activities
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the needs of people with complex mental health problems and barriers to recovery, including an understanding the value of community engagement in service users' recovery
Ability
Essential
- Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including potentially some evening or weekend sessions e.g. to support people in going to community events
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma in Mental Health in Mental Health of Social Care or equivalent experience (evidence of extensive and recent paid experience of working with service users, including those who have severe and or enduring mental health, addiction issues or other vulnerable groups)
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of a work role helping others to engage in community activities
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the needs of people with complex mental health problems and barriers to recovery, including an understanding the value of community engagement in service users' recovery
Ability
Essential
- Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including potentially some evening or weekend sessions e.g. to support people in going to community events
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).
