Job summary
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust are pleased to announce that we are currently recruiting a Peer Practitioner to work into our Secure Outreach Treatment Team within our Ridgeway Secure Inpatient services in Middlesbrough. This post will be based in the Secure Outreach Treatment Team at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough.
Peer support can be described as being when people with shared experiences connect to build safe, trusting and non-judgemental relationships where we learn and grow together. Peer Practitioners are people who have experience of supporting people who have a learning disability and/or autism who can use their experiences to support others.
For these roles, we are looking for people who have:
- Experience of caring for someone who has a learning disability and/or autism OR experience of mental health challenges, autism or a learning disability.
- AND
- Experience of delivering peer support or advocacy in a paid or voluntary role, or in a user led environment.
Your time in post will start with attending our peer support training alongside other people starting peer roles with us. This training is delivered by people with their own lived experience who also have direct experience of working in peer roles themselves. You will then receive a full induction for the service.
Main duties of the job
From there the key part of this role will be to support the peer support worker(s) on the team with their peer support practice and day to day accessibility and support needs. This will involve working with them throughout the day.
Your work may also involve:
- Enabling the peer support workers within the team; identifying opportunities for development and engagement of the peer support worker
- Providing 1:1 support to increase skills and confidence of peer support worker
- To be present in team meetings to share feedback and success of the role of peer practitioner and peer support worker
- Providing 1:1 peer support to people accessing the service (this may involve supporting family / carers too)
- Supporting peer support worker in their day to day tasks at work and providing oversight and relevant support needed.
- Setting up and facilitating / co-facilitating peer support groups alongside colleagues who require support.
- Working into team meetings to support service users voices to be heard and bring lived experience expertise into team processes.
- Supporting service development within the teams you work in
- Building connections with a range of people and organisations within the system (including other peer support workers / providers).
To support you with this work you will receive ongoing regular 1:1 and group supervision, and will be able to access a range of other peer connection and development structures.
About us
We value diversity and want to have a wide range of identities represented in the peer workforce. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of distress and mental health services from the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation) and other diverse groups.
We also value a diversity of experiences with mental health services in the peer workforce and welcome applications from people and carers with helpful, difficult or mixed experiences of mental health and/or learning disability and/or autism services.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Peer Practitioner, you will work to support current service users and employees both with a 1:1 capacity and also in groups as appropriate. Drawing on your own experience of mental health challenges or supporting those who have Autism, learning disability or mental health challenges:
- You will walk alongside others on their journey, both through services and in work in a supportive peer relationship built on our core peer values of authenticity, relationship, validation, respect, mutuality, and empowerment.
- You will listen non-judgementally to create safe spaces where people feel heard.
- You will approach the peer relationship and colleague relationship with compassion and curiosity.
- You will recognise and value peoples strengths, diversity and expertise in themselves.
- You will be aware of the impacts of trauma and committed to the importance of working in ways which are sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors.
You also will be an integrated and valued member of the team. Peer Practitioner roles involve contributing peer values and the knowledge, skills and expertise that come with personal or carer lived experience of mental health, learning disability and autism challenges and services. Important parts of this role also include working within the team to help service users voices be heard and to promote recovery values and trauma informed approaches. Peer Practitioners will be supported to challenge both individual and structural instances of stigma and discrimination related to mental health and other forms of exclusion.
Please see the uploaded job description or approach us for an informal chat if you would like further details on the post.INFORMAL ENQUIRES TO:
Team Manager - Leanne Crozier - leanne.crozier@nhs.net or 07780338815
Trustwide Peer Lead Mark Allan mark.allan1@nhs.net or 07826 894974
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Peer Practitioner, you will work to support current service users and employees both with a 1:1 capacity and also in groups as appropriate. Drawing on your own experience of mental health challenges or supporting those who have Autism, learning disability or mental health challenges:
- You will walk alongside others on their journey, both through services and in work in a supportive peer relationship built on our core peer values of authenticity, relationship, validation, respect, mutuality, and empowerment.
- You will listen non-judgementally to create safe spaces where people feel heard.
- You will approach the peer relationship and colleague relationship with compassion and curiosity.
- You will recognise and value peoples strengths, diversity and expertise in themselves.
- You will be aware of the impacts of trauma and committed to the importance of working in ways which are sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors.
You also will be an integrated and valued member of the team. Peer Practitioner roles involve contributing peer values and the knowledge, skills and expertise that come with personal or carer lived experience of mental health, learning disability and autism challenges and services. Important parts of this role also include working within the team to help service users voices be heard and to promote recovery values and trauma informed approaches. Peer Practitioners will be supported to challenge both individual and structural instances of stigma and discrimination related to mental health and other forms of exclusion.
Please see the uploaded job description or approach us for an informal chat if you would like further details on the post.INFORMAL ENQUIRES TO:
Team Manager - Leanne Crozier - leanne.crozier@nhs.net or 07780338815
Trustwide Peer Lead Mark Allan mark.allan1@nhs.net or 07826 894974
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree or equivalent OR equivalent experience of providing peer support in a community or inpatient setting
- Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)
- Completed Trust Trauma Informed Peer Support Training course (passing within agreed timescale)
Desirable
- Completed peer support training
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health challenges or a learning disability that is relevant to the specific role advertised
- Personal experience of accessing secondary (or inpatient) mental health services
- Experience of delivering peer support in a paid or voluntary role, or in a user led environment
- Experience of actively engaging in a supervision or co-supervision system
Desirable
- Experience of social exclusion, stigma and / or discrimination
- Psychiatric Hospital admission
- Experience of co-production or user led groups or projects
- Experience of facilitating peer support groups
Knowledge
Essential
- Passionate about the values of peer support and understands what the role adds to a team
- Understands importance of maintaining integrity to peer support role
- Understanding of a variety of therapeutic approaches used on the team (within agreed timescale)
- Understanding of trauma informed approaches and trauma informed peer support, and demonstrated ability to apply this knowledge to practice
Skills
Essential
- Able to share elements of own life experiences, and engage compassionately with experiences of others, in a way appropriate to the role and peer relationship
- Good peer relationship skills and ability to verbally describe these skills .
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree or equivalent OR equivalent experience of providing peer support in a community or inpatient setting
- Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)
- Completed Trust Trauma Informed Peer Support Training course (passing within agreed timescale)
Desirable
- Completed peer support training
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health challenges or a learning disability that is relevant to the specific role advertised
- Personal experience of accessing secondary (or inpatient) mental health services
- Experience of delivering peer support in a paid or voluntary role, or in a user led environment
- Experience of actively engaging in a supervision or co-supervision system
Desirable
- Experience of social exclusion, stigma and / or discrimination
- Psychiatric Hospital admission
- Experience of co-production or user led groups or projects
- Experience of facilitating peer support groups
Knowledge
Essential
- Passionate about the values of peer support and understands what the role adds to a team
- Understands importance of maintaining integrity to peer support role
- Understanding of a variety of therapeutic approaches used on the team (within agreed timescale)
- Understanding of trauma informed approaches and trauma informed peer support, and demonstrated ability to apply this knowledge to practice
Skills
Essential
- Able to share elements of own life experiences, and engage compassionately with experiences of others, in a way appropriate to the role and peer relationship
- Good peer relationship skills and ability to verbally describe these skills .
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).
