Job summary
- Main area
- Neurodevelopmental & Specialty
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 24 months (Temporary project due to non-recurrent funding)
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-NUR-7386900-LF
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Monks Orchard House, Bethlem Hospital
- Town
- Beckenham
- Salary
- £32,199 - £34,876 Pro rata inclusive of HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Autism Peer Support Worker
NHS AfC: Band 4
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
Job Overview:
- The Transforming Care in Autism (TCA) service was developed to meet the needs of autistic individuals at risk of admission to, or within, mainstream mental health services.
- An exciting new opportunity has arisen for autistic peer support workers to be part of the Transforming Care in Autism (TCA) team, working closely with a practitioner psychologist supporting autistic adults on inpatient wards in Croydon. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, compassionate, positive thinking and self-motivated individual with lived experience of autism. The primary role is to provide caring and non-judgemental support to autistic individuals experiencing mental health challenges. The role will also involve providing training to staff and carers to impart knowledge and skills to support autistic service users.
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The successful candidate will have completed an accredited Peer Worker training course or be willing to complete training shortly after starting their role. They will be a member of a multidisciplinary team, working alongside autism-specialists and mental health professionals.
- Peer Support Workers will be fully supported in their role through regular 1 to 1 supervision within the team line management structure and have access to monthly peer mentoring and weekly online group supervision.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
- To use lived experience to inspire hope that change is possible.
- To share lived experience safely and effectively.
- To share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery or times when you have experience behaviours that have been challenging and how you overcome this challenge.
- To work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths of the person.
- To use a number of agreed recovery tools that are person-centred in a flexible way to support the service users.
- To support the service users to understand the role of autism and mental health services and how they can support their treatment alongside other community resources.
- To record information in a clear and accessible way.
- To promote service users involvement in all aspects of their work.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required.
Working for our organisation
The Transforming Care in Autism team is a multi-disciplinary, supportive and diverse team, which includes an autism peer support worker. It is part of the wider adult ADHD and Autism pathway which includes an inpatient unit, national psychology service and diagnostic and post-diagnostic support services. The pathway includes opportunities for learning, including links with Kings College London, Trust wide sessions and a weekly Education and Research meeting.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To ensure confidentiality and safe keeping of client records.
- To be able to signpost to community and/or online resources and access appropriate mainstream and autism resources.
- To be aware of, teach others and challenge issues in relation to autism and stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.
- To attend team meetings as appropriate.
- With agreement of line manager, to promote the role of peer support both within SLAM and externally, through co-delivery of presentations, workshops, and information sharing. In addition, to participate in Trust-wide peer related projects and audits.
- To take part in regular one-to-one supervision with senior staff.
- To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual appraisal.
- To complete mandatory training.
- To take part in group supervision and mentoring for peer workers.
- To work with other TCA team members in co-production (design), delivery (processes), evaluation (of outcomes) and dissemination (of findings) as part of service development opportunities within the team
- To work with TCA team members to co-produce (design) and co-deliver teaching, training and workshops focused on autism and related topics for service users, carers/supporters and staff
- To work within the spirit of co-production and co-delivery for all presentations and workshops
- To support autistic service users and/or carers accessing the the TCA team in relation to wellbeing, social inclusion and other aspects of recovery
- To role-model the positive use and impact of lived experience of mental ill-health, recovery and self-management with service users and/or carer they are supporting
- The post holder will be required to be self-reflective about their personal lived experience of autism and/or mental ill-health. This is an essential criteria of the role and successful applicants will be expected to use this experience within co-production and delivery of the sensory pilot aims and objectives. Peer support workers will need to be able to recognise the value and impact of their own lived experience. Effective use of personal experience of recovery and wellbeing is an essential role requirement to support the service users, carers/supporters and staff to understand the teaching materials and develop knowledge, attitudes and skills to enable wellbeing and self-management. Successful applicants will be offered regular team and individual supervision and training opportunities to support their own wellbeing and links to their work activities.
- To work closely other TCA team members, and practitioners from a variety of professions and roles within SLaM.
- To ensure that any concerns regarding an individual’s mental and physical health and wellbeing highlighted within interactions with service users are shares with the team and/or their line manager in order that a decision to notify the individual’s care team is made
- To identify the diverse needs of the service users, carers and staff and to adapt teaching and communication style in response to the audience's level of need and understanding.
- To work flexibly including travelling to sites within local boroughs where relevant and appropriate. There is not an expectation to work out of hours.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Personal experience of autism and mental health difficulties and recovery
- Experience of using autism and mental health services (for example a community mental health team / promoting recovery team, home treatment team, inpatient stay, emergency department, talking therapies, etc)
- Willing to positively share your own life experiences, with service users, carers, and colleagues
- Experience of working or volunteering with autistic people and mental health difficulties (paid or voluntary)
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to GCSE or equivalent level/or evidence of competency specifically in English and Maths.
- Lived Experience / Peer Support Training (or willing to complete)
Knowledge / Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate an understanding of the Values of Peer Support
- Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service users
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sophie Doswell
- Job title
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
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