Job summary
A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Peer
Support Worker within the Teign Core Adult Community Mental Health Team based
at Estuary House in Newton Abbot. This is a part-time position, working 22.5 per week.
You need to have the ability to travel to meet the demands of the role.
The successful candidate will be joining a
dynamic, motivated and skilled service and help the team in the Teign Core
Adult Mental Health Team build upon the successful work they have and
continue to achieve. The team are
proactively engaging with the local Primary Care Network, working alongside local GP Surgeries.
The role of Peer Support Worker has been developed
specifically for people who have lived experience of mental health challenges.
Through sharing your own experiences, this may
inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
As an integral member of the multi-disciplinary team, you will provide formalised peer support to service users in order for them to achieve goals that they have identified for themselves. This will include signposting to other organisations and connection to local communities.
This job may be emotionally challenging at times,
but you will receive supervision, guidance and training
from colleagues within the Community Mental Health team, the Peer Support
Leadership team and the wider organisation.
Please ensure you read the opening statement under the Job Description heading before submitting your application.
Main duties of the job
- To form and maintain therapeutic
relationships with patients, staff and other members of the mental health team.
- To support service users by
building relationships of empathy and trust based on the core principles of peer support (mutuality, reciprocity, strengths-focused, safe, progressive, non-directive, recovery-focused and inclusive).
- To share ideas about ways of
supporting self-defined recovery goals, drawing on personal experiences and a
range of coping, self-help and self-management techniques.
- To provide support to individuals in gaining choice,
developing and managing meaning and purpose of life and independence, and
maintaining dignity and self-respect
- To support access and facilitation of activity sessions both
on a one-to-one and group basis for service users
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is not a healthcare support worker role. This role is a peer support opportunity and is designed for people with lived experience. Lived experience means someone has gained an understanding and knowledge of a situation or challenge because they have directly and personally experienced it. We are looking for someone who has lived experience of accessing and negotiating secondary mental health services and personal experience of being significantly impacted by mental illness and recovery.
As part of our shortlisting process and to ensure transparency and to maintain the high standards required for working at DPT, we may ask candidates to provide further details relating to their lived experience from their application. If you do not have relevant lived experience for this peer support role, you will not be invited to interview.
We understand that you may need to use AI as a reasonable adjustment, so if you have used AI in your application, please make us aware
The peer support worker role has been developed specifically for people who have personal lived experience of mental health challenges and of accessing mental health services. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, peer support workers will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the PSW will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to patients and service users in order to work with them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery process. Within a relationship of reciprocity they will journey with service users to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of individually identified goals, working with people towards gaining greater independence and in managing their own health and wellbeing.
The PSW will act as a recovery champion within the team and an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations. As a core member of the multidisciplinary team, the PSW will work alongside an agreed number of patients and service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis.
The PSW will take a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service setting in which they work with other Trust recovery champions. Reporting directly to the Team Leader/Ward manager and under the professional supervision of the Peer Support Worker Lead, the PSW will be responsible for the delivery of peer support interventions as agreed within the peer relationship.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is not a healthcare support worker role. This role is a peer support opportunity and is designed for people with lived experience. Lived experience means someone has gained an understanding and knowledge of a situation or challenge because they have directly and personally experienced it. We are looking for someone who has lived experience of accessing and negotiating secondary mental health services and personal experience of being significantly impacted by mental illness and recovery.
As part of our shortlisting process and to ensure transparency and to maintain the high standards required for working at DPT, we may ask candidates to provide further details relating to their lived experience from their application. If you do not have relevant lived experience for this peer support role, you will not be invited to interview.
We understand that you may need to use AI as a reasonable adjustment, so if you have used AI in your application, please make us aware
The peer support worker role has been developed specifically for people who have personal lived experience of mental health challenges and of accessing mental health services. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, peer support workers will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the PSW will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to patients and service users in order to work with them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery process. Within a relationship of reciprocity they will journey with service users to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of individually identified goals, working with people towards gaining greater independence and in managing their own health and wellbeing.
The PSW will act as a recovery champion within the team and an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations. As a core member of the multidisciplinary team, the PSW will work alongside an agreed number of patients and service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis.
The PSW will take a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service setting in which they work with other Trust recovery champions. Reporting directly to the Team Leader/Ward manager and under the professional supervision of the Peer Support Worker Lead, the PSW will be responsible for the delivery of peer support interventions as agreed within the peer relationship.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Basic Education (Level 2 Qualification).
- To complete Care Certificate training within the first 3-6 months of joining unless already obtained
- Basic IT skills
Desirable
- NVQ level 3, QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification or experience/ equivalent working experience using lived experience.
- Other evidence of training or development relevant to working within mental health settings (statutory or voluntary).
Experience
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery from mental health challenges.
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others.
- Lived experience of accessing and negotiating secondary mental health services or equivalent experience from private healthcare/lived experience relevant to patient group
- Demonstrate a willingness to share own experience of mental health with the sole intention of supporting service users.
- Knowledge of mental health and a basic understanding of physical health presentations.
Desirable
- Personal experience of being significantly impacted by mental illness and recovery)
- Paid or unpaid working experience in health and social care.
- Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards their self-defined goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid).
- Awareness of safeguarding principles.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively with people using services taking into account any communication difficulties they may have and responding appropriately.
- To maintain confidentiality, empathy, compassion and patience towards individuals with mental health challenges.
- An ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability.
- Ability to work with people in a group and individual basis.
- Good written communication.
- Demonstrate an ability and understanding about how and why we need to maintain personal professional boundaries.
- To participate in unsupervised tasks and provide accurate feedback to relevant parties.
- Mobility throughout the area covered by service to meet the demands of the role
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Basic Education (Level 2 Qualification).
- To complete Care Certificate training within the first 3-6 months of joining unless already obtained
- Basic IT skills
Desirable
- NVQ level 3, QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification or experience/ equivalent working experience using lived experience.
- Other evidence of training or development relevant to working within mental health settings (statutory or voluntary).
Experience
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery from mental health challenges.
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others.
- Lived experience of accessing and negotiating secondary mental health services or equivalent experience from private healthcare/lived experience relevant to patient group
- Demonstrate a willingness to share own experience of mental health with the sole intention of supporting service users.
- Knowledge of mental health and a basic understanding of physical health presentations.
Desirable
- Personal experience of being significantly impacted by mental illness and recovery)
- Paid or unpaid working experience in health and social care.
- Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards their self-defined goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid).
- Awareness of safeguarding principles.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively with people using services taking into account any communication difficulties they may have and responding appropriately.
- To maintain confidentiality, empathy, compassion and patience towards individuals with mental health challenges.
- An ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability.
- Ability to work with people in a group and individual basis.
- Good written communication.
- Demonstrate an ability and understanding about how and why we need to maintain personal professional boundaries.
- To participate in unsupervised tasks and provide accurate feedback to relevant parties.
- Mobility throughout the area covered by service to meet the demands of the role
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.
