Job summary
Do you have prior lived experience of ill-mental health?
We are recruiting for a Senior Peer Support Worker to join Oxford Health Buckinghamshire CAMHS. This vacancy is an opportunity for people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
As a Senior Peer Support Worker you'll use your own lived experience of mental health challenges, using empathy to support service users/families who are accessing mental health services.
The service you'll be working in is Buckinghamshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Intensive Home Treatment Team (IHTT). IHTT is a supports in providing families with intensive community intervention. We are looking for a motivated individual with lived experience of being a care giver to a young person with significant mental health difficulties. The individual would be able involved in supporting and guiding families during a period of crisis that can present as chaotic, stressful and distressing. You will work alongside the young person, the family or carers and a CAMHS core care team, including a care coordinator, to plan a comprehensive package of care including interventions tailored to the family's needs.
Main duties of the job
You will support children, young people and their families for a period of intervention that can range between the short and medium term, and alongside the team provide intensive support during a mental health crisis while offering a range of support to reduce the likelihood of admission to inpatient hospital services, and stabilise their mental health while in a community setting.
The support is mainly provided in their home environment and can also include support accessing school provision and community based resources. The IHTT is able to offer and engage families in a higher level and more intensive plan of support, including the ability to conduct multiple visits across a week and sometimes daily as required.
The role is predominantly based in Sue Nicholls Centre, Aylesbury, with additional expectation to work from Saffron House, High Wycombe.
The ability to travel independently between sites within the Trust is essential for this role.
About us
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible
Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive:"Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"
Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
- Excellent opportunities for career progression
- Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
- 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
- Competitive pension scheme
- Lease car scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
- Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Job description
Job responsibilities
The IHTT consists of trained mental health nurses, a consultant and support workers to provide intensive, community packages of care for children and families in Buckinghamshire. They operate from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm (Including bank holidays). Young people and families need to be:
- Under the age of 18
- Based in the Buckinghamshire area or registered with a Buckinghamshire GP.
- In an acute mental health crisis that can be managed in the community (with increased support)
- Who have acute psychiatric or psychological symptoms and/or emotional distress that mean they are unable to go about their daily activities.
- Young people at immediate and significant risk of an inpatient admission.
Please refer to the job description and guidance notes attached for further information on the PSW role.
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The IHTT consists of trained mental health nurses, a consultant and support workers to provide intensive, community packages of care for children and families in Buckinghamshire. They operate from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm (Including bank holidays). Young people and families need to be:
- Under the age of 18
- Based in the Buckinghamshire area or registered with a Buckinghamshire GP.
- In an acute mental health crisis that can be managed in the community (with increased support)
- Who have acute psychiatric or psychological symptoms and/or emotional distress that mean they are unable to go about their daily activities.
- Young people at immediate and significant risk of an inpatient admission.
Please refer to the job description and guidance notes attached for further information on the PSW role.
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.
Person Specification
Question 1
Essential
- Tell us about your existing knowledge of mental health conditions and about any courses you have already completed.
Question 2
Essential
- Tell us why you have the ability to offer specialist support using your personal experience of recovery.
Question 3
Essential
- Tell us about your previous or current experience working within Peer Support or a similar caring role.
Question 4
Essential
- Tell us an about a time when you needed to use your own initiative while at work.or within a personal setting.
Question 5
Essential
- Tell us how you have previously developed and maintained sound working relationships with members of your team at work.
Person Specification
Question 1
Essential
- Tell us about your existing knowledge of mental health conditions and about any courses you have already completed.
Question 2
Essential
- Tell us why you have the ability to offer specialist support using your personal experience of recovery.
Question 3
Essential
- Tell us about your previous or current experience working within Peer Support or a similar caring role.
Question 4
Essential
- Tell us an about a time when you needed to use your own initiative while at work.or within a personal setting.
Question 5
Essential
- Tell us how you have previously developed and maintained sound working relationships with members of your team at work.
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.
