Job summary
Do you have lived experience of mental health challenges?
We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for a Part-Time Band 3 Peer Support Worker to join our Structured Clinical Management (SCM) Team, part of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). If you're motivated, empathetic, and have personal experience with mental health difficulties--including using mental health services--we'd love for you to bring your unique perspective to our team.
Main duties of the job
As a Peer Support Worker:
- Support Recovery: Use your lived experience to provide emotional and practical support, helping service users identify and work towards their personal goals.
- Build Connections: Offer empathy and companionship, working one-on-one and in groups to empower individuals and reduce feelings of isolation.
- Share Self-Management Tools: Draw on the techniques you've used to manage your own wellbeing and share these with others in a hopeful, strengths-based way.
- Be a Role Model: Inspire belief in recovery by modelling wellbeing and acting as an ambassador for service users within our team.
About us
We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.
Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our#PennineCarePeopleand do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work.
All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.
If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:
- Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
- Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
- Access to Continued Professional Development
- Involvement in improvement and research activities
- Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
- Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel
Job description
Job responsibilities
Who Were Looking For
- Lived Experience: Youve faced mental health challenges, accessed mental health services, and can reflect on your recovery journey to inspire others.
- Empathy and Resilience: Youre able to connect with people, handle challenging situations professionally, and maintain boundaries while offering support.
- Team Spirit: Youve worked in a team or group setting and can collaborate effectively with colleagues and service users.
- Reflective Nature: Youre open to supervision and keen to grow by reflecting on your experiences and practice.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Who Were Looking For
- Lived Experience: Youve faced mental health challenges, accessed mental health services, and can reflect on your recovery journey to inspire others.
- Empathy and Resilience: Youre able to connect with people, handle challenging situations professionally, and maintain boundaries while offering support.
- Team Spirit: Youve worked in a team or group setting and can collaborate effectively with colleagues and service users.
- Reflective Nature: Youre open to supervision and keen to grow by reflecting on your experiences and practice.
Person Specification
Education & Qualification
Essential
- Educated to GCSE standard (including English) or equivalent.
- Completion of Accredited Peer Support Worker Training or commitment to completing
Desirable
- Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of peer support and opportunities to enhance ongoing personal development.
Experience
Essential
- Lived experience of mental health challenges, accessing mental health services for support.
- Awareness of challenges faced by individuals presenting in crisis.
- Wide range of life experiences and the ability to bring a positive viewpoint to others.
- Experience of using a range of self-management tools and techniques for personal wellbeing.
- Belief that people can live a life that is meaningful to them.
Desirable
- Ability to use personal experiences to support others and demonstrate empathy.
- Ability to reflect on experiences and working practice in one-to-one or group settings (as an attendee or facilitator).
- Experience of supporting others to identify and work towards their own goals.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health faced by service users and their families.
- Ability to handle challenging situations and behave in a professional manner, including the ability to manage own emotional response in the face of others distress.
- Ability to work in a trauma informed way, validating others' experiences, listening, and empathising whilst promoting and empowering hope.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of professional and personal boundaries in relation to sharing of recovery stories
- Demonstrate an understanding of the value of Peer Support Work and the impact of stigma and discrimination.
- Ability to reflect on practice and willingness to engage in regular group and individual supervision
- Excellent written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills.
- Computer literate and willingness to learn record keeping systems
- Ability to prioritise workload.
Desirable
- Understanding of person-centred and recovery focused practice.
- Knowledge and understanding of the diverse cultures and communities the Trust serves.
- The ability to work in an enabling and creative way, where the service user is the expert in their own recovery
- Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and adults at risk.
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- The ability to lone work in line with Trust policies and procedures.
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs.
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies.
Person Specification
Education & Qualification
Essential
- Educated to GCSE standard (including English) or equivalent.
- Completion of Accredited Peer Support Worker Training or commitment to completing
Desirable
- Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of peer support and opportunities to enhance ongoing personal development.
Experience
Essential
- Lived experience of mental health challenges, accessing mental health services for support.
- Awareness of challenges faced by individuals presenting in crisis.
- Wide range of life experiences and the ability to bring a positive viewpoint to others.
- Experience of using a range of self-management tools and techniques for personal wellbeing.
- Belief that people can live a life that is meaningful to them.
Desirable
- Ability to use personal experiences to support others and demonstrate empathy.
- Ability to reflect on experiences and working practice in one-to-one or group settings (as an attendee or facilitator).
- Experience of supporting others to identify and work towards their own goals.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health faced by service users and their families.
- Ability to handle challenging situations and behave in a professional manner, including the ability to manage own emotional response in the face of others distress.
- Ability to work in a trauma informed way, validating others' experiences, listening, and empathising whilst promoting and empowering hope.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of professional and personal boundaries in relation to sharing of recovery stories
- Demonstrate an understanding of the value of Peer Support Work and the impact of stigma and discrimination.
- Ability to reflect on practice and willingness to engage in regular group and individual supervision
- Excellent written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills.
- Computer literate and willingness to learn record keeping systems
- Ability to prioritise workload.
Desirable
- Understanding of person-centred and recovery focused practice.
- Knowledge and understanding of the diverse cultures and communities the Trust serves.
- The ability to work in an enabling and creative way, where the service user is the expert in their own recovery
- Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and adults at risk.
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- The ability to lone work in line with Trust policies and procedures.
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs.
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies.
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).
