Wellbeing Outreach Advisor

The wellbeing outreach advisor will work as part of a wider team in Lewisham adult mental health services, including other community services and mental health services.

The role involves working alongside participants to provide support, information, and resources to improve their quality of life, providing person-centred goal and outcome-oriented support.

The service provides timely, targeted 1-2-1 support of up to 12 weeks and a variety of group workshops to help people across the diverse communities in Lewisham manage their mental health. It offers tools, resources, and links to local services to improve their wellbeing and resilience in the long term.

The service aims to:

• Manage the wider determinants of health by engaging with people who are reluctant to engage or who are disengaged from mental health services.
• Support access to prevention and early intervention initiatives.
• Prepare people for engagement with therapeutic interventions.
• Access meaningful interventions including culturally appropriate and faith-relevant support.
• Reduce levels of isolation.

The service will focus on outreach delivery Monday to Friday from 12–8pm, Saturday from 12–4pm, and some mornings for Sunday delivery.

We support people to:

• Navigate local options of support.
• Be linked with specialist services that can meet their needs.
• Make informed decisions.
• Improve the wellbeing of everyone in Lewisham.
• Support those with mental health needs to manage their wellbeing.

Workers will be required to coordinate and maintain their own caseload and report on their activity as required.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting individuals in a focused and time-limited basis over 12 weeks through one-to-one and group workshop interventions.
• Meeting service users mostly in community premises across the Lewisham borough.
• Undertaking risk management assessments for all service users within their caseload.
• Ensuring the safeguarding of individuals from the risk of abuse and self-harm.
• Contributing to the ongoing development and empowerment of individuals through excellent knowledge of local opportunities in the borough.
• Helping design and facilitate group workshops in the community.

Communication and relationships:

• Communicate effectively with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Work closely with other local community services and mental health services to ensure cohesive outreach support.
• Maintain open, honest, and transparent professional relationships.
• Forge and maintain relationships with other agencies in the community.
• Share knowledge, skills, and experience within the team while observing confidentiality.

Increasing social capital:

• Promote engagement within the community as a key factor in recovery and self-management.
• Empower individuals to exercise choice and control, offering a person-centred service led by their wishes.

Technology:

• Maintain and build upon good working knowledge of IT.
• Take full advantage of opportunities to use IT to progress working practices.

Capturing and sharing what we do:

• Record and report on activity and outcomes, sharing examples of good practice.
• Maintain up-to-date records and share these with individuals at any time.

Promoting service user leadership and involvement:

• Foster opportunities for individuals to take the lead in the development of the service.
• Support volunteers where necessary, including peer supporters.

Service outcomes:

• Raise aspirations and support the growth and improvement of this new service.
• Increase community engagement and awareness of this new service.
• Enable individuals to lead full and happy lives without relying on conventional mental health services.
• Assist individuals in completing meaningful Wellbeing Plans & Safety Plans.
• Empower individuals to lead their own journey and have control over their lives.

Confidentiality:

• Information relating to people we work with must be treated in the strictest confidence and discussed only with prior consent of the individual, unless in the case of risk.
• Information relating to staff must also be treated in the strictest confidence.

Skills, knowledge & expertise:

• Understanding of issues surrounding mental health and factors affecting those experiencing or recovering from mental illness.
• Proven skills in managing a busy workload.
• Experience of working autonomously.
• Able to plan ahead while retaining capacity for flexible working.
• Efficiently maintain appropriate records including use of information technology.
• Willing and able to engage with databases and activity capture systems.
• Proven ability to build rapport and present a positive image of the service.
• Good, clear, and adaptable communication skills.
• Experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Understanding of equal opportunities, marginalisation, and social exclusion.
• Knowledge and experience of working with confidentiality.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to work in the field including daily local travel within the borough.
• Good IT skills including email, internet, word processing, basic Excel, and mobile phone use.
• Excellent telephone manner.
• Willing and able to learn new systems as needed.
• Good written English and ability to produce written documents to a high standard.

Desirable:

• Lived experience of mental health problems.
• Experience of working with contact and outcome management databases.
• Experience of external-facing communications with other agencies.
• Experience of forging community relationships.
• Experience of person-centred or personalised support.
• Experience of developing, supporting, or fostering user leadership or involvement opportunities.
• Advanced skills in word processing, email, and internet.

Equal Opportunities Statement:

We acknowledge the unique contribution that all employees and service users can bring to the projects and the organisation. All appointments and promotions are based on merit, and no job applicant or employee will be treated unfairly or discriminated against.