Job overview

As an integral and highly valued member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), the Peer Support Worker will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users in order for them to regain control over their lives and enable their own unique recovery journey. They will act as a role model to peers, carers, staff and others from a ‘lived experience’ perspective.

Peer Support Workers will show empathy, share experiences, inspire hope and promote recovery, with the aim of assisting/supporting service users on both a 1:1 and group basis, to gain and maintain maximum levels of independence in the community.

The Peer Support Worker will be a Champion and act as an ambassador of recovery within a service setting and for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations.

The Peer Support Worker will fulfil this role within the Multi-Disciplinary Team through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for staff and others across the Trust. This may be formally through the Recovery Colleges and more informally within the work base.

Main duties of the job

·         To undertake the Care Certificate within the first 12 weeks of employment – or have an existing qualification/programme of learning agreed as meeting wholly or partially, the standards of the Care Certificate

·         To work with the Multi-Disciplinary Team in the support of service users accessing the Trust services.

·         To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with Service Users and their Carers.

·         To role-model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, advocacy and hopefulness via the telling of their own recovery story to inspire and incite confidence in peers.

·         To share/teach coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.

·         To support individuals in identifying their own strengths, personal interests, achievements and meaningful recovery goals.

·         By utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experiences in addition to their own lived experience, Peer Support Worker’s will help individuals develop recovery objectives.

·         To assist service users in being actively involved in creating their own unique recovery action plan as part of the Care Programme Approach.

·         To positively provide and support independent living for Service users in the Community by maintaining knowledge and links with Community resources and actively support service users to access them.

Working for our organisation

 To participate in activities and groups with the Service user.

To assist and support individuals with Activities of Daily Living and managing their lives on a day-to-day basis alongside their recovery goals.

To accompany service users to meetings and appointments as identified as part of their recovery.

To support service users in seeking to connect/maintain contact with their families, friends and significant others and in learning how to improve and develop relationships.

To maintain a focus on the rights of the service user/carer at all times, and to respect their personal, social, spiritual beliefs and their unique identity.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.