Peer Support worker Psychosis in Penarth

This is an extremely exciting opportunity for a Band 4 peer support worker. The successful candidate will join the Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP) clinical nurse specialist (CNS) team working with people who have received a diagnosis of Psychosis or who are experiencing voices and visions and the Recovery and Wellbeing College which is a peer‑led service and part of the Cardiff and Vale Mental Health Clinical Board.

MHSOP CNS for ‘Psychosis’/Voices and visions provides help and support to people aged 65 years or over after receiving a diagnosis of ‘psychosis’ as well as supporting people in the service who have not received this diagnosis but are experiencing emotional distress related to voices, visions or unshared beliefs/alternative realities. The CNS team aims to increase trauma‑informed and healing care and evidence‑based psychosocial interventions within MHSOP.

Acting as a resource to the MHSOP service as a whole, the team raises awareness of the needs of service users, provides information, therapeutic interventions for individuals and groups, and training and consultation. The role of peer support worker (PSW) in the CNS team and Recovery College has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of receiving a diagnosis of ‘psychosis’ and the challenges of recovery and living well with and making sense of these experiences. We anticipate our PSWs will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible.

Main duties of the job

• The role and responsibilities include being an integral and highly valued member of the multi‑disciplinary team.
• PSWs will provide structured peer support and practical assistance to their allocated caseload of service users, enabling them to regain control over both their lives and their recovery process.
• PSWs participate in the ongoing assessment, planning, delivery and review of care to meet identified physical and mental health, social and well‑being needs.
• They model the values of recovery within and outside of MHSOP and share wisdom gained from their own experiences.
• Being active in their own recovery and showing a willingness to share these recovery experiences while supporting us in embedding the Recovery Principles of Hope, Control and Opportunity across training, service delivery and design.

Clinical supervision and support is provided by the CNS for ‘Psychosis’. The PSW will be under the overarching supervision of the Clinical Lead nurse and the MHCB Peer Support Lead. The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

About us

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Boards in the UK, employing over 17,000 staff and providing over 100 specialist services. Working across 6 hospital sites, we offer a diverse range of career opportunities. Serving over 500,000 people in Cardiff and the Vale, we are focused on the health and care needs of our local population while working with partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone and delivering excellent care and support. Our mission is ‘Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together’, and our vision is that every person’s chance of leading a healthy life should be equal. Our 10‑year transformation and improvement strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, is our chance to work collaboratively with the public and our workforce to make our health board more sustainable for the future.

Job responsibilities

The full Job description and Person Specification are attached within the supporting documents.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant experience plus additional training and/or experience in peer support.
• Evidence of ongoing personal development.
• NVQ Level 4, diploma or equivalent experience.

Experience

• Lived experience of using secondary mental health or addiction services (as a service user or carer).
• Working in a recovery‑focussed and socially inclusive manner, supporting others to achieve their goals.

Skills

• Good communication skills (written, verbal, listening) and proficiency with up‑to‑date systems of communication such as IT systems, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, e‑mail, telephone.
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person.
• Ability to engage people who may feel marginalised or reluctant to work with mental health services.
• Ability to network and create positive links with other organisations.

Other

• Knowledge of psychosis and related conditions and the impact on the lives of older people.
• Understanding of the social challenges facing older people with mental health challenges.
• Approachable and able to engage with older people.

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 disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.