Peer Support Worker

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with lived experience of receiving care from Eating Disorder Services to join our team as a peer support worker.
As a peer support worker you will be a valued member of the St Ann\’s Eating Disorder Service working alongside a highly skilled multi-disciplinary team. You will be able to share relevant personal experiences and draw on insights and skills developed through your own recovery to come alongside people using services on a one-to-one and group basis to explore peoples own goals and personalised recovery. This role will have a particular focus on Inpatient and Outpatient.
It is anticipated this will be a dynamic role with lots of variation and will include tasks such as;

• Providing peer support during mealtimes (including eating with the individual you are working alongside)
• Supporting people to access groups and activities in their local communities

An individual may go through many service transitions during their recovery journey; the peer support worker in this role will predominantly be focusing on transitions between inpatient and outpatient.
The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation. These principles will recognise the need to:

• Promote safe practices
• Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice
• Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change
• Value social inclusion

Main duties of the job

• To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
• Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
• Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness via the appropriate sharing of own recovery story to inspire and instil confidence in service users.
• Assist service users in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) if used, and advanced directives to feed into the care planning process.
• Share / teach coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.
• Support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.Facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.
• Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
• Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi-disciplinary team members, service users and carers.

About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description
Job responsibilities
***Please kindly refer to the job description and person specification by clicking on the JD/PS attachment in the advert.***
Job description
Job responsibilities
***Please kindly refer to the job description and person specification by clicking on the JD/PS attachment in the advert.***
Person Specification
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
Essential

• Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS Level or equivalent

Desirable

• Related Health or Social Care qualification Willingness to undertake further training relevant to and in line with the development of peer support role. Completion of the BEH Peer Worker Training within 6 months of contract start date. Completion of a Wellness at Work plan within 2 months of contract start date.

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Essential

• Lived experience of mental health difficulties. Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others. Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role. Experience of working in a team or a group environment. Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques. Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery. Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users. Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination.

Desirable

• Psychiatric hospital admission. Experience of being a service user of the NHS or private health services for mental health. Experience of working in the public sector. Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Essential

• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Computer literate. Ability to work collaboratively with team and wider Trust.

Desirable

• Presentation skills. Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc.

PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential

• Flexibility and Reliability

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Essential

• Ability to transport / accompany peers to appropriate appointments. A willingness to work flexibly through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate.

Person Specification
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
Essential

• Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS Level or equivalent

Desirable

• Related Health or Social Care qualification Willingness to undertake further training relevant to and in line with the development of peer support role. Completion of the BEH Peer Worker Training within 6 months of contract start date. Completion of a Wellness at Work plan within 2 months of contract start date.

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Essential

• Lived experience of mental health difficulties. Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others. Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role. Experience of working in a team or a group environment. Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques. Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery. Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users. Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination.

Desirable

• Psychiatric hospital admission. Experience of being a service user of the NHS or private health services for mental health. Experience of working in the public sector. Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Essential

• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Computer literate. Ability to work collaboratively with team and wider Trust.

Desirable

• Presentation skills. Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc.

PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential

• Flexibility and Reliability

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Essential

• Ability to transport / accompany peers to appropriate appointments. A willingness to work flexibly through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate.

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 submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. .
Additional information
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 submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. .
Employer details
Employer name
North London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
St Ann\’s Hospital
St Ann\’s Hospital
London
N15 3TH
Employer\’s website