Job summary
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit three Peer Supporters to work in its award-winning Trauma Service.
The service is a specialist NHS psychotherapy team that provides therapeutic support to adults who have been significantly affected by traumatic events experienced at any stage of life. The people we see hv experienced multiple episodes of trauma over extended periods and find the trauma has come to dominate their lives in numerous ways, making it hard to move fwd. The service is non-diagnostic, provides a flexible and individualised approach to treatment and sees lived experience work as a vital and integral aspect of the clinical work provided.
We are looking to recruit people who have accessed the Trauma Service at the Tavistock Centre as patients to work in the service as Peer Supporters/Experts by Experience. Whilst we will consider applications that otherwise meet the relevant criteria, we will prioritise applications from people who have accessed the service in line with our developing model of peer support.
We are looking to recruit three motivated and enthusiastic peer support practitioners who are open to reflecting on, and sensitively using, their own experience of past trauma and accessing therapy to support the therapeutic journey of others. These roles will provide a unique opportunity to work alongside clinicians in supporting a wide range of individuals as well as close involvement in the ongoing development of the service.
Main duties of the job
The role will involve providing lived experience/peer support work to patients accessing the service. This may take the form of making welcome calls to people new to the service, leading a drop-in peer support space alongside another peer supporter and providing brief one-to-one support around specific problem areas. There will be opportunities for participating in and co-delivering psychoeducational groups, receiving training and supervision from clinicians in the service. The role will also involve providing consultation to clinicians from a lived experience perspective, advising on and working towards co-producing aspects of the service, as well as working closely with other Experts by Experience and our panel of current service users. We envisage lived experience work involving sharing relevant aspects of one's own experience, promoting choice, agency, hope and purpose for our patients as well as raising awareness about local resources and opportunities that support development.
About us
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We are particularly keen to attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to better meet the needs of the service users and students that we serve. The Trust aims to ensure that all job applicants, employees or clients are treated fairly and valued equally regardless of sex, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, domestic circumstances, age, race, colour, disablement, ethnic or national origin, social background or employment status, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs,
The Tavistock and Portman is caring, compassionate and committed to co-creating the care and training we offer. We are passionate about the quality of our work and committed to openness, the use of evidence and the application of improvement science. We value all our staff, are concerned for their wellbeing, and seek to foster leadership, innovation and excellence in our workforce. We embrace diversity in our workforce and work to make our services and training as accessible as possible. We have made a firm commitment to being an anti-racist, anti-homophobic and anti- transphobic organisation. We work with others, in the UK and internationally, who share our values and can enable us to achieve our mission.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit three Peer Supporters to work in its award-winning Trauma Service.
Please see job description for main responsibilities an duties.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit three Peer Supporters to work in its award-winning Trauma Service.
Please see job description for main responsibilities an duties.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Willingness to undertake training in Peer Support and Lived Experience work - With You training provided by Health Education England
- Relevant experience and/ or level 4 qualification in Health and Social care
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health challenges, adverse experiences and/or past trauma
- Personal experience of accessing mental health services for therapeutic support
- Being willing to share aspects of recovery journey in a constructive way to support the development of others
- Previous experience of supporting people in distress or with specific areas of significant difficulty (professional or personal)
Desirable
- Experience of accessing trauma-specific services
- Personal experience of receiving psychoanalytic informed therapy
- Previous experience of Peer Support/Lived Experience work
- Previous experience of involvement in research, audits or service evaluation
- Experience of facilitating supportive group work
Skills
Essential
- Understand the value of expert by experience work
- Ability to form effective working relationships with people from a range of communities, backgrounds and professions
- Motivated to work with individuals and in groups of to provide appropriate peer support to service users as part of role
- Good communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in a team and a receptive attitude to supervision
- Personal resilience, ability to reflect on challenging interactions, and to maintain appropriate boundaries and professional relationships
- Effective IT skills sufficient for word, email, and electronic record keeping
Desirable
- Ability to remain calm and supportive when working with people in high levels of distress and in unpredictable circumstances
Knowledge
Essential
- An ability to recognise that individual experiences of trauma and adversity vary widely and an openness to difference and diversity
- An understanding of the impact complex trauma can have and an interest in developing further knowledge in this area
- Knowledge and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of some of the complexities involved in lived experience work
- Knowledge of different approaches to research and data collection
- Knowledge of local services relevant to patient population including statutory and third-sector organisations, and ability to build links and networks
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to work on own initiative and maintain confidentiality
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to meet deadlines and to be flexible
- Evidence of an interest in and receptive attitude to a psychoanalytic approach and a variety of psychological models
- Ability to reflect on emotional impact of the work
- Proactive, positive and enthusiastic attitude
- Ability to prioritise and organise tasks
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to work in line with the Trust's values
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Willingness to undertake training in Peer Support and Lived Experience work - With You training provided by Health Education England
- Relevant experience and/ or level 4 qualification in Health and Social care
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health challenges, adverse experiences and/or past trauma
- Personal experience of accessing mental health services for therapeutic support
- Being willing to share aspects of recovery journey in a constructive way to support the development of others
- Previous experience of supporting people in distress or with specific areas of significant difficulty (professional or personal)
Desirable
- Experience of accessing trauma-specific services
- Personal experience of receiving psychoanalytic informed therapy
- Previous experience of Peer Support/Lived Experience work
- Previous experience of involvement in research, audits or service evaluation
- Experience of facilitating supportive group work
Skills
Essential
- Understand the value of expert by experience work
- Ability to form effective working relationships with people from a range of communities, backgrounds and professions
- Motivated to work with individuals and in groups of to provide appropriate peer support to service users as part of role
- Good communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in a team and a receptive attitude to supervision
- Personal resilience, ability to reflect on challenging interactions, and to maintain appropriate boundaries and professional relationships
- Effective IT skills sufficient for word, email, and electronic record keeping
Desirable
- Ability to remain calm and supportive when working with people in high levels of distress and in unpredictable circumstances
Knowledge
Essential
- An ability to recognise that individual experiences of trauma and adversity vary widely and an openness to difference and diversity
- An understanding of the impact complex trauma can have and an interest in developing further knowledge in this area
- Knowledge and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of some of the complexities involved in lived experience work
- Knowledge of different approaches to research and data collection
- Knowledge of local services relevant to patient population including statutory and third-sector organisations, and ability to build links and networks
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to work on own initiative and maintain confidentiality
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to meet deadlines and to be flexible
- Evidence of an interest in and receptive attitude to a psychoanalytic approach and a variety of psychological models
- Ability to reflect on emotional impact of the work
- Proactive, positive and enthusiastic attitude
- Ability to prioritise and organise tasks
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to work in line with the Trust's values
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.
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 UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
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 UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
