Job summary
We are seeking a compassionate and dedicated Peer Support Worker (PSW) to join our Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Service. As a valued member of our team, you will provide peer support, practical assistance, and engagement to service users, helping them access treatment, regain control over their lives, and begin their personal recovery journey.
This role offers an opportunity to use your lived experience during the perinatal period to support and empower birthing people and their families. Whether your experience is based on your own journey or that of supporting someone close to you, your insights will be invaluable in guiding others through their mental health challenges.
As a Peer Support Worker, you will draw on your personal experience to offer emotional support, encouragement, and practical guidance, fostering a sense of connection and healing. You will collaborate closely with the perinatal and maternal mental health teams, providing essential support to individuals and families during this significant time.
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference, using your unique experience to help others navigate their mental health journey and achieve recovery.
Main duties of the job
- To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
- Use own initiative, personal experience and job related training in deciding on the approach and interventions required when working with a service user in delivering peer support, in line with supervision, mentor and other peer networks.
- 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.
- To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, disclosing any concerns to line manager of the Safeguarding service.
- 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.
- Attend team meetings to contribute to care planning and promote the use of self-directed recovery tools.
- Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
About us
As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, fantastic pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.
The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.
There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will to experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan -- there is truly something for everyone!
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more details and further information about the role, please see the attached job description and person specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more details and further information about the role, please see the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent
- Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS aevel 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.
Experience
Essential
- Lived experience of mental health problems.
- 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
- Knowledge of Mental Health Legislatione
Desirable
- Lived experience of mental health problems.
- 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
- Lived experience of mental health difficulties associated with loss and trauma occurring in the maternity/perinatal/neonatal context
- Psychiatric inpatient admission
- Experience of working in the public sector
- Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others
- Experience of working across different organisational boundaries
- Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners
- Understanding of the service delivery goals of the care pathway
- Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and the protection of vulnerable adults
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Flexibility and Reliability
- Kind and compassionate nature
- Ability to be assertive
- Ability to undertake reflection as part of learning and personal development
- Insightful to the nature of interpersonal relationships and have the ability to set clear boundaries.
Desirable
- Presentation skills
- Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent
- Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS aevel 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.
Experience
Essential
- Lived experience of mental health problems.
- 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
- Knowledge of Mental Health Legislatione
Desirable
- Lived experience of mental health problems.
- 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
- Lived experience of mental health difficulties associated with loss and trauma occurring in the maternity/perinatal/neonatal context
- Psychiatric inpatient admission
- Experience of working in the public sector
- Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others
- Experience of working across different organisational boundaries
- Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners
- Understanding of the service delivery goals of the care pathway
- Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and the protection of vulnerable adults
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Flexibility and Reliability
- Kind and compassionate nature
- Ability to be assertive
- Ability to undertake reflection as part of learning and personal development
- Insightful to the nature of interpersonal relationships and have the ability to set clear boundaries.
Desirable
- Presentation skills
- Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc.
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.
