Senior Peer Support Worker

Job responsibilities

The Senior PSW role has been developed specifically for people who have lived/living experience of recovery from mental health challenges & experience of professionally utilising these experiences within mental health settings through peer support roles.

The Senior PSW will support in developing an end-to-end support pathway for our PSWs. The post holder will provide high quality individual supervision to PSWs working within services including group supervision.

They will also support the development & implementation of more effective Trust-wide systems for the development and introduction of PSW roles.

The role will also have an important role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Provide robust individual & group supervision for PSWs

Ensure clarity of the PSW role at service level

Support the delivery of appropriate PSW learning activities

Ensure awareness & understanding of the PSW role at service level

Help devise & support appropriate recruitment processes

Support the development of guidance across the Trust for the effective implementation of PSW roles

To work in collaboration with the Peer Support Worker Programme Manager & other Senior PSWs

Support the further development of appropriate recruitment processes

This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture of the role. Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to time. The duties of the post & job description can be reviewed through the agreed process

General Duties of all post holders

To undertake any other reasonable duty, which is appropriate to the band, when requested by Senior Staff.

To be familiar with & comply with all Trust and departmental policies, procedures, protocols & guidelines.

To be aware of & work towards the Trusts strategic goals.

Standards of Business Conduct

The post holder will be required to comply with the organisations standing order & standing financial instructions & at all times, deal honestly with the organisation with colleagues & all those who have dealing with the organisation including patients, relative and suppliers.

The post holder must ensure that their behaviour and interests inside & outside work do not conflict with their Trust position, duties and/or responsibilities.

The post holder must comply with & support the development of the performance standards within the service/department to ensure the service is responsive to & meets the needs of its customers.

The post holder will be required to develop & maintain good working relationships with all patients, service users, staff, contractors & where appropriate, members of the public.

The Trust aims to maintain the good will & confidence of its own staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public. To assist in achieving this objective it is essential that at all times, the post holder carries out their duties in a courteous, sympathetic & professional manner.

All post holders who are members of a professional body must comply with standards of professional practice / conduct. It is the post holders responsibilities to ensure they are both familiar with & adhere to these requirements and maintain their professional membership to the relevant body.

Equality & Diversity & Equal Opportunities

The post holder must carry out all duties & responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trusts Equal Opportunities and Equality & Diversity policies, avoiding unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing with colleagues, service users, members of the public and all other stakeholders.

The post holder must promote awareness of & respect for equality and diversity in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

The post holder is responsible for treating all staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors & the general public with dignity and respect at all times.

Safeguarding

Appointments to regulated & controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (PCFT) employees have a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children & young people & to protect adults; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse & neglect.

Engagement with safeguarding training, in line with responsibilities, is mandatory for all PCFT employees. PCFT employees must familiarise themselves with policies and procedures & adhere to these.

It is the responsibility of all staff to report safeguarding concerns & familiarise themselves with who to contact in order to do this or seek further guidance.

Professional & Personal Development

The post holder must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities by attending the Trust Mandatory Training & Induction Programme.

The post holder will be involved in a formal appraisal & yearly conversations review with their manager at least every 12 months. Once performance / training objectives have been set, the staff members progress will be reviewed on a regular basis, so that new objectives can be agreed & set, in order to maintain progress in the service delivery.

The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for their own professional development & will be supported by the Trust to achieve development opportunities as appropriate.

Confidentiality & Information Governance

Confidentiality is of prime importance. In the normal course of duties, the post holder will have access to confidential documents and information relating to patients, service users, staff & contractors, as well as information of a commercially sensitive nature. Such information should not be communicated to anyone outside or inside the NHS unless done in the normal course of carrying out the duties of the post. Disciplinary action will be considered where a breach of confidence has been established.

All information obtained or held during the post-holders period of employment that relates to the business of the Trust & its service users & employees will remain the property of the Trust. Information may be subject to disclosure under legislation at the Trusts discretion and in line with national rules on exemption.

The post holder must maintain high standards of quality in corporate & clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date. The post holder must only access information, whether paper, electronic or in other media, which is authorised to them as part of their duties.

The post holder must work to the requirements of data protection laws as applicable to the UK, which includes the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Health & Safety at Work

The post holder is required to take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves & other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work and to co-operate with the Trust in adhering to statutory and departmental safety regulations.

The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they do not intentionally or recklessly misuse or interfere with anything provided in the interests of health safety or welfare e.g. misuse of equipment.

The post holder is required to contribute to the control of risk and must report immediately, using the Trust Incident reporting system, any incident, accident or near miss involving patients, service users, carers, staff, contractors or members of the public.

All Trust sites have been designated a no smoking area. The post holder is therefore advised smoking is not permitted within the hospital premises or grounds or whilst representing the Trust in the course of their duty. While the Trust will not discriminate against employing smokers, all prospective employees should be aware of this policy.

Infection Control

Infection Prevention & Control is the responsibility of all Trust staff.

All staff members have a responsibility to protect service users, visitors & employees against the risk of acquiring health care associated infections by consistently observing Trust Infection Prevention and Control Policies and procedures & best practice guidance in order to maintain high standards of Infection Prevention and Control.

Sustainability / Net Zero Carbon

Pennine Care are committed to sustainable development, social value and achieving the NHS Net Zero Carbon reduction targets. All employees must play their part and adhere to the principals in the Green Plan, this will ensure our services are efficient, sustainable & carbon emissions are reduced. As an employee you will be expected to conserve energy / water, minimise wastage in all formats, actively promote biodiversity & use sustainable transport whenever possible.

Energy: Switch off non-essential electrical equipment / lighting when not in use. Report heating issues, building too hot / too cold to the Estates Team.

Water: Do not leave taps running and report all drips, leaks, & condensation issues to the Estates Team.

Waste: Follow the Trust waste policy Reduce Reuse Recycle do not overorder equipment / medicines. Healthcare waste must be disposed of in line with the Trusts waste management policy.

Biodiversity: Enhancing biodiversity has a wealth of positive outcomes for our colleagues, services users & the environment. Think of your site, can an area be improved to have a quality green space, specific planting for habitat improvement or the installation of a couple of bird boxes? Contact the estate team for further details

Transport & Travel: Where possible lift share, cycle, walk or use public transport

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• oQualification at Degree level or equivalent experience
• oCompleted ImROC peer support worker training (or equivalent)
• oCompleted or willing to undertake ImROC Peer Supervision training or equivalent
• oEvidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable

• oEvidence of further training in relation to personal recovery principles
• oEvidence of training in relation to trauma informed care

Experience

Essential

• oOwn personal lived experience of 'recovery' from mental health challenges
• oExperience of having personally accessed mental health services
• oExperience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey, with service users, carers and others
• oExperience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker or equivalent role
• oExperience of working with people with mental health problems and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
• oExperience of working both independently as well as providing group and 1:1 activities

Desirable

• oExperience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
• oExperience in implementing recruitment and selection processes
• oExperience of delivering training and presentations to a wide range of audiences

Knowledge

Essential

• oUnderstanding of the current policy, standards and best practice evidence base surrounding peer support workers in mental health services.
• oAbility to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery
• oAbility to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• oUnderstanding of current mental health services and configurations delivered within the NHS
• oKnowledge of the principles of Project Management

Desirable

• oUnderstanding of the principles of effective evaluation
• oUnderstanding of the key principles of change management

Skills

Essential

• oEffective communication skills with a range of stakeholders
• oAble to work effectively as part of a team
• oAble to solve problems and work on own initiative
• oAble to manage opposition and conflict and try to persuade others of own point of view
• oAble to prepare and present briefing papers and reports to deadlines
• oEmotional intelligence and reflectivity with ability to work effectively with others to bring about change in a complex and dynamic organisation
• oAble to facilitate collaborative working
• oAble to manage and handle sensitive information and difficult messages in an effective and empathic way
• oAble to handle conflict in a constructive manner.
• oAble to effectively make use of ICT equipment for the purposes listed above
• oGood negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills (including written, verbal, presentation skills)
• oFacilitation skills and ability to work with a group of mixed stakeholders
• oAbility to balance competing demands and work to tight timescales
• oAbility to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently with guidance
• oExcellent planning, self-management and organisational skills

Work related circumstances

Essential

• oUse of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
• oWilling to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
• oAppointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure

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 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).