Job summary
- Main area
- Forensic Services
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 267-FS7254512
- Employer
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Woodlands House, Whiteleaf Centre hospital site
- Town
- Aylesbury
- Salary
- £24,625 - £25,674 plus an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum | pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Forensic Peer Support Worker - Woodlands House - Aylesbury
Band 3
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.
We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.
We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Good luck and we hope to hear from you.
Job overview
Do you have lived experience of mental health problems and/or Forensic Services/the Criminal Justice System and want to use your recovery journey to support other people facing similar challenges?
We are recruiting for a Peer Support Worker at Woodlands House, a men's low secure Forensic unit situated adjacent to the Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury.
Peer Support Workers (PSWs) are people who have their own lived experience of mental health challenges. They use empathy informed by their own experiences to support service users and families who are accessing mental health services.
If this sounds like you, read on to find out how you can join our Forensic Services team and make a real difference to our patients and their recovery journey!
This role includes an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum on top of your salary
Main duties of the job
We are recruiting for a Peer Support Worker at Woodlands House, a 20-bed male low-secure ward in Aylesbury. We work to support our patients to increase their independence in the community, and their confidence in their daily living skills.
The core function of this role is to offer peer support to patients at Woodlands House. Peer Support Workers model the recovery principles (hope, opportunity, control) in their practice, together with personal responsibility, self-awareness and self-care whilst undertaking the duties of the role.
The Peer Support Worker role sees the introduction of lived experience into everyday practice. We are looking for an individual who can draw appropriately on their lived experience of mental health challenges and/or the Criminal Justice System/Forensic Services to provide peer support to the group of service users at Woodlands House and promote their recovery.
Peer Support Workers offer a combination of one to one and group work and will work within the multi-disciplinary team to support a service user’s recovery journey. We’re looking for someone who is compassionate, can work well in a team, highly motivated and have good verbal communication skills. You will be provided with specific Peer Support Worker training and will complete the nationally recognised care certificate in this role.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Drawing on lived experience of mental health challenges and/or the Criminal Justice System/Forensic services to provide emotional and practical support to an allocated group of service users to promote their recovery.
- Drawing upon lived experience and using active listening to inspire hope, offer empathy, empowerment, confidence building and validate a service users’ feelings
- To build relationships that are founded on the values of reciprocity and mutuality which will facilitate the provision of regular and practical support, both one to one and via group work
- To positively promote independent living of service users through role-modelling individual recovery journeys
- To have the individual service user’s needs always at the forefront of the Peer Support Worker's practice and to use the skills incorporated in the Peer Support Training to underpin their practice
- To build rapport with service users, whilst maintaining professional boundaries, drawing on both experience and knowledge of the service user perspective and an evidence-based approach.
Please refer to the job description and guidance notes attached for further information on this role. It is important that you read the 'Things to consider before applying for a PSW role' document attached before making an application.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- The ability to offer specialist support using their personal experience of recovery
- To have experience of working within a supportive and enabling role
Personal qualities
Essential criteria
- Able to use own initiative when appropriate
- The ability to develop and maintain sound working relationships with all members of the multidisciplinary team
Knowledge/Qualifciations
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of mental health conditions
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
- Nell Boxall
- Job title
- Forensic Peer Support Coordinator
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07876 567764
- Additional information
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.
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