Peer Support Worker in Wigan

The role of Peer Support Worker has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of mental health or a dual diagnosis such as mental health and substance misuse, Learning Difficulties or Autism. The aim is to support others who may benefit from peer support in addition to other treatment and interventions. There is growing evidence that peer support reduces the need for individuals to access crisis and inpatient services.

The Peer Support Worker will act as a role model, mentor and ambassador for living well in both clinical and non-clinical environments across a range of community settings. Through sharing wisdom from your own experiences, you will inspire hope and belief that living well is possible in others.

Main duties of the job

. You will:

• Support and promote recovery from mental health as a user led concept
• Emphasise hope and optimism, inspiring individuals to achieve their aspirations/goals
• Value experiential learning alongside other people
• Focus on strengths rather than deficits
• Foster collaboration between those who need support and those who support them
• Enable and promote autonomy and self-management

There is also an expectation that you will be involved in the on-going development of Peer Support Worker roles at the Trust, including such things as training programmes and evaluations.

Postholders will demonstrate an attitude which respects and values service users’ and their carers and have a clear understanding of professional boundaries. The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation. These principles will recognise the need to:

• Promote safe practices
• Value the aims of service users
• Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice
• Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached detailed job description and person specification:

• Pay Enhancements – 30% additional for Evenings (8pm onwards) and Saturdays and 60% additional for Sundays and Bank holidays.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Blue Light Card Discounts

Education/ Qualifications

• Has undertaken the Trust Level 2 Award in Peer Support Work or is willing to do so as soon as the position is offered / or completed equivalent programme.
• Competent in Maths and English at Level 1 Functional Skills (equivalent to GCSE grade D-E) and willing to work towards Level 2 (GCSE grade A-C)
• Competent in basic Microsoft Office applications e.g. e-mail, Word, Teams.
• Prepared to undertake learning and development opportunities to enhance skills

Experience

• The post holder should: Have lived experience of mental health problems during the perinatal period
• Experience of accessing services and actively contributing to own treatment/interventions to support own recovery
• Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Knowledge

• The post holder should: Demonstrate an understanding of what Peer Support work is
• Demonstrate an understanding of professional boundaries
• Have a basic awareness of equal opportunities legislation and understand the importance of recognising and respecting diversity and promoting inclusion
• Knowledge and understanding of the Trauma Informed Care Agenda in mental health
• Knowledge about the impact of maternal mental illness

Skills and Abilities

• The post holder should: Be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people including: service users, carers, other professionals, and members of the public
• Be able and willing to share own experiences appropriately in order to work in a trauma informed way, validating others experiences, listening and empathising, whilst promoting and empowering hope
• Be able to motivate others and promote choice and empowerment
• Be able to handle challenging situations and behave in a professional manner
• Be aware of the limits of your own competence, and responsibilities and know when to consult with others
• Show commitment to one’s own professional development
• Basic psychosocial intervention skills e.g. Motivational Interviewing, Behavioural Activation, Node Link Mapping, Solution Focussed Approaches

Important Information about working for GMMH:

All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website –

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.

**Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received**

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

As a service user, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.

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