Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Peer Support Worker - Specialist Perinatal Service

The closing date is 25 February 2026

Job summary

Specialist Perinatal Service, covering Liverpool and Sefton and Mid Mersey.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Specialist Perinatal Service.

We are currently recruiting to the following options:

  • Full-time position (37.5 hours per week):This role will work acrossbothteams, covering:
    • Liverpool & Seftonand
    • Warrington, Halton, St Helens & Knowsley

Or

  • Two part-time positions (each at22.5 hours per week):Each of theseroles will be based withinone locality team(the Liverpool and Sefton teamORthe Warrington, Halton, St Helens & Knowsley team)

We welcome applications from motivated and compassionate individuals who are committed to delivering high-quality mental health care.

The role of PSW utilises the invaluable experience of people who possess lived experience of mental health services. The challenges that transition to new parenthood can place on wellbeing will be expertly known to the PSW, and will be the basis upon which they will offer relatable connection, aiding recovery for others.

*Applicants for the role of PSW within the Specialist Perinatal Service, must have lived experience of mental health challenges within the maternity/perinatal journey. Please only apply if this is your experience*

The Specialist Perinatal Service is an MDT that support women, birthing people and families across Cheshire and Merseyside to access specialist advice about their mental health during pregnancy up to 24 months postnatal.

Main duties of the job

To use own lived experience to directly support service users within the services and promote positive mental well-being.

The role of Peer Support has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of having received care in Mental Health services. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, the peer support worker will inspire hope in others.

The peer support worker will act as a recovery champion and an ambassador of positive mental well-being in both clinical and non-clinical environments. There is also an expectation that the peer support worker will be involved in the on-going development of peer support worker roles including such things as training programmes and evaluations.

The peer support worker strives to empower individuals to achieve their hopes, dreams and goals by assisting them on their journey.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Details

Date posted

18 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum / pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

350-CC7782604

Job locations

Hollins Park

Hollins Park Lane

Warrington

WA1 8AW


Job description

Job responsibilities

To act as a positive role model to service users and staff members, demonstrating Trust values during the course of their work

To establish supportive and respectful relationships with people using mental health services.

To help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.

To share and promote coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.

To accompany service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.

To facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.

To accompany service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.

To provide support to service users whilst maintaining professional boundaries

To support service users to identify and overcome fears and challenges within their recovery within a relationship of empathy and trust

To liaise with carers, other health professionals, statutory and voluntary agencies in the community to enable the recovery needs of the service user group to be met

To work in collaboration with other key stakeholders and colleagues involved in the delivery of care.

Work within Trust clinical supervision guidelines.

At all times act within the limits of their competences and authority, and seek advice and guidance when required.

Ensure actions contribute to a positive and safe working culture.

Undertake appropriate administrative duties to assist the team in delivering effective and timely care, e.g. data inputting, filing, computer work, faxing, photo-copying, updating patient records on RIO.

Ensure that patient health records are maintained in accordance with national and organisational policies and within the scope of the Peer Support Workers responsibility.

To actively participate in regular line management and clinical supervision including recovery focused group supervision and to identify personal developmental needs.

To attend service user forums to help ensure that the voice of the service user is heard and the views, opinions and needs of the service users are addressed.

To participate in quality assurance measures, promoting uptake of friends and family tests, satisfaction questionnaires and other measures that review the effectiveness of service delivery. Providing genuine constructive feedback and support for continued improvement of the service.

To contribute to service development by attending ward, service and hospital level meetings with the aim to promote the service user perspective by providing feedback

Attend all statutory and mandatory training allocated.

Attend RIO training.

Adhere to all company policies and procedures.

Complete any other reasonable request.

The ability to travel as the role requires in essential.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To act as a positive role model to service users and staff members, demonstrating Trust values during the course of their work

To establish supportive and respectful relationships with people using mental health services.

To help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.

To share and promote coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.

To accompany service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.

To facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.

To accompany service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.

To provide support to service users whilst maintaining professional boundaries

To support service users to identify and overcome fears and challenges within their recovery within a relationship of empathy and trust

To liaise with carers, other health professionals, statutory and voluntary agencies in the community to enable the recovery needs of the service user group to be met

To work in collaboration with other key stakeholders and colleagues involved in the delivery of care.

Work within Trust clinical supervision guidelines.

At all times act within the limits of their competences and authority, and seek advice and guidance when required.

Ensure actions contribute to a positive and safe working culture.

Undertake appropriate administrative duties to assist the team in delivering effective and timely care, e.g. data inputting, filing, computer work, faxing, photo-copying, updating patient records on RIO.

Ensure that patient health records are maintained in accordance with national and organisational policies and within the scope of the Peer Support Workers responsibility.

To actively participate in regular line management and clinical supervision including recovery focused group supervision and to identify personal developmental needs.

To attend service user forums to help ensure that the voice of the service user is heard and the views, opinions and needs of the service users are addressed.

To participate in quality assurance measures, promoting uptake of friends and family tests, satisfaction questionnaires and other measures that review the effectiveness of service delivery. Providing genuine constructive feedback and support for continued improvement of the service.

To contribute to service development by attending ward, service and hospital level meetings with the aim to promote the service user perspective by providing feedback

Attend all statutory and mandatory training allocated.

Attend RIO training.

Adhere to all company policies and procedures.

Complete any other reasonable request.

The ability to travel as the role requires in essential.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE/NVQ 2 or equivalent in relevant subject
  • Willingness to work toward attainment of NVQ 3 or equivalent in relevant subject

Desirable

  • Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the RPSW role

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Own personal lived experience of mental health challenges relevant to role
  • Willing to positively share your own life experiences, personal experience of mental ill health with service users and carers
  • Developed plans for managing own recovery
  • Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)

Desirable

  • Experience of supporting individuals to access services beyond mental health
  • Experience of delivering training & sharing experience

Values

Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

Skills

Essential

  • Able to demonstrate understanding of Intentional Peer Support
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery
  • Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
  • Effective listening skills
  • Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
  • Ability to appreciate / understand other people's worlds

Desirable

  • Acceptable levels of written literacy and numeracy
  • Basic Knowledge of IT including Microsoft Office Suite
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE/NVQ 2 or equivalent in relevant subject
  • Willingness to work toward attainment of NVQ 3 or equivalent in relevant subject

Desirable

  • Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the RPSW role

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Own personal lived experience of mental health challenges relevant to role
  • Willing to positively share your own life experiences, personal experience of mental ill health with service users and carers
  • Developed plans for managing own recovery
  • Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)

Desirable

  • Experience of supporting individuals to access services beyond mental health
  • Experience of delivering training & sharing experience

Values

Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

Skills

Essential

  • Able to demonstrate understanding of Intentional Peer Support
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery
  • Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
  • Effective listening skills
  • Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
  • Ability to appreciate / understand other people's worlds

Desirable

  • Acceptable levels of written literacy and numeracy
  • Basic Knowledge of IT including Microsoft Office Suite

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hollins Park

Hollins Park Lane

Warrington

WA1 8AW


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hollins Park

Hollins Park Lane

Warrington

WA1 8AW


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Team Manager

Megan Woodcock

Megan.woodcock@merseycare.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

18 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum / pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

350-CC7782604

Job locations

Hollins Park

Hollins Park Lane

Warrington

WA1 8AW


Supporting documents

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