Job summary
We are looking for a part-time Peer Support Worker to
join our team with a specific focus on supporting the Women's Pathway.
This post is restricted to women under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010, as being a woman is a genuine occupational requirement for this role.
This role is designed for someone with lived experience
of the criminal justice system who can bring insight, empathy, and
understanding to women currently navigating this system. Women face distinct criminal justice challenges, including trauma, coercion and complex social barriers on release.
Peer Support Workers with lived experience play a vital role in
helping women feel heard, understood, and supported at every stage
As a Peer Support Worker on the Women's Pathway, you will:
- Use
your lived experience to build trust and connection
- Support
women throughout their journey in the criminal justice system
- Help
them engage with services, attend appointments, and access resources
- Provide
practical and emotional support
- Work
alongside practitioners and partners including police, courts, probation,
prisons, and voluntary sector services
Your contribution will help shape how we support women in
Devon and will influence ongoing service development and improvement.
Our core aim is to improve wellbeing, reduce vulnerability,
enhance engagement, and decrease the risk of reoffending.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to reflect on their lived experience of their contact with the justice system.
Main duties of the job
You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, working
alongside
Support Time & Recovery Workers (ST&R) and qualified Senior Mental
Health Practitioners as part of the Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion
Service. Contribute to the support and brief targeted interventions for people
coming into contact with Criminal Justice agencies such as Police custody,
courts and probation.
You will actively engage and work with a small number of individuals
with offending histories, combined with a wide range of mental health and social problems, who may also
have co-existing complex needs including homelessness, substance misuse,
significant risk to self or others, are socially excluded, and who at times may
present with extremely challenging behaviours.
Ensuring that
individuals engage with the services they have been referred into, by
supporting them to attend relevant appointments. Working with
our ST&R Workers to obtain the best outcome for our clients. Provide time
limited 1:1 support to clients giving advice, information and/or support to
access a wide range of agencies and services that can provide support and
advise with issues such as housing, social isolation and exclusion, debt
management, training, education and
employment.
Support people who typically find
it hard to access and utilise community services and resources. Advocate and liaise
with relevant community services.
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
Responsibility for Client Care
- To provide peer support to an individual or in a group setting, adapting the approach based on the needs of the service and those accessing support.
- To provide support to individuals in gaining choice, developing and managing meaning, purpose of life and independence, and maintaining dignity and self-respect.
- Be able to respond effectively to any safeguarding concerns and know procedures they need to follow to escalate their concerns.
- To support access and facilitation of activity sessions both on a one-to-one and group basis for service users.
- To have the ability to use their lived experience to connect with, explore and safely develop a mutual relationship with clients. This relationship is the basis for jointly understanding the clients own resources and applying these.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
- To communicate effectively with clients considering any communication differences they may have and responding appropriately.
- To communicate sensitive information orally and in writing to and from clients, their carers, other members of the multidisciplinary team and other organisations.
- To work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual.
- To support clients to prepare for meetings regarding their care e.g. assessments, ward rounds, clinical meetings etc.
- To model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness.
- To support engagement with local resources, opportunities and activities within the Trust and in communities to establish connections to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and a positive identity.
- To provide Peer Support in line with DPT Peer Support training and values.
- To use empathy to build safe, trusting relationships with service users based on open and non-judgemental listening and sharing of lived experiences
- A demonstrated and sensitive understanding of diversity which actively promotes anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
- The post holder will be aware of and will work within their own limits and competencies.
- Report any untoward incidents, safeguarding concerns or unusual occurrences to the manager/senior clinician immediately.
- Be able to identify a situation that requires escalation to a manager i.e. safeguarding, patient risks, and environmental risks.
- To be able to share their own lived experience responsibly in line with Trust policies.
Planning and Organisational Skills
- Plans and delivers peer support for individual clients or groups, and /or individual carers or groups, within the limits of the peer support framework overseen by a supervisor.
- Arranges appointments for clients.
- Organise own workload and prioritise where needed.
- Be punctual for work and conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with Trust Policies.
- To plan and manage own diary and workload in collaboration with the wider team
Job description
Job responsibilities
Responsibility for Client Care
- To provide peer support to an individual or in a group setting, adapting the approach based on the needs of the service and those accessing support.
- To provide support to individuals in gaining choice, developing and managing meaning, purpose of life and independence, and maintaining dignity and self-respect.
- Be able to respond effectively to any safeguarding concerns and know procedures they need to follow to escalate their concerns.
- To support access and facilitation of activity sessions both on a one-to-one and group basis for service users.
- To have the ability to use their lived experience to connect with, explore and safely develop a mutual relationship with clients. This relationship is the basis for jointly understanding the clients own resources and applying these.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
- To communicate effectively with clients considering any communication differences they may have and responding appropriately.
- To communicate sensitive information orally and in writing to and from clients, their carers, other members of the multidisciplinary team and other organisations.
- To work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual.
- To support clients to prepare for meetings regarding their care e.g. assessments, ward rounds, clinical meetings etc.
- To model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness.
- To support engagement with local resources, opportunities and activities within the Trust and in communities to establish connections to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and a positive identity.
- To provide Peer Support in line with DPT Peer Support training and values.
- To use empathy to build safe, trusting relationships with service users based on open and non-judgemental listening and sharing of lived experiences
- A demonstrated and sensitive understanding of diversity which actively promotes anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
- The post holder will be aware of and will work within their own limits and competencies.
- Report any untoward incidents, safeguarding concerns or unusual occurrences to the manager/senior clinician immediately.
- Be able to identify a situation that requires escalation to a manager i.e. safeguarding, patient risks, and environmental risks.
- To be able to share their own lived experience responsibly in line with Trust policies.
Planning and Organisational Skills
- Plans and delivers peer support for individual clients or groups, and /or individual carers or groups, within the limits of the peer support framework overseen by a supervisor.
- Arranges appointments for clients.
- Organise own workload and prioritise where needed.
- Be punctual for work and conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with Trust Policies.
- To plan and manage own diary and workload in collaboration with the wider team
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NHSE Peer Support Worker Competence Framework Training or commitment to complete within 3-6 months of joining.
- Care Certificate or commitment to complete within 3 months of joining.
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- This post is restricted to women under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010, as being a woman is a genuine occupational requirement for this role.
- Personal lived experience of contact with the criminal justice system, such as custody, court proceedings, or arrest.
- Ability and willingness to draw on and share first-person lived experience with the sole intention of supporting others.
- Basic IT skills including Outlook and the ability to use electronic record systems confidently and accurately.
- Basic awareness of safeguarding principles.
Communication & Working Relationships
Essential
- Effective listening skills and can demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience.
- The ability to remain calm and respond professionally in unpredictable or distressing situations, with a clear understanding of challenges some individuals might face.
- Demonstrated strong written and spoken communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- An ability to build safe, empowering, therapeutic relationships with clients based on open and non-judgmental listening and shared experiences
Desirable
- The ability to share lived experience appropriately and effectively across a variety of settings to support and engage others.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NHSE Peer Support Worker Competence Framework Training or commitment to complete within 3-6 months of joining.
- Care Certificate or commitment to complete within 3 months of joining.
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- This post is restricted to women under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010, as being a woman is a genuine occupational requirement for this role.
- Personal lived experience of contact with the criminal justice system, such as custody, court proceedings, or arrest.
- Ability and willingness to draw on and share first-person lived experience with the sole intention of supporting others.
- Basic IT skills including Outlook and the ability to use electronic record systems confidently and accurately.
- Basic awareness of safeguarding principles.
Communication & Working Relationships
Essential
- Effective listening skills and can demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience.
- The ability to remain calm and respond professionally in unpredictable or distressing situations, with a clear understanding of challenges some individuals might face.
- Demonstrated strong written and spoken communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- An ability to build safe, empowering, therapeutic relationships with clients based on open and non-judgmental listening and shared experiences
Desirable
- The ability to share lived experience appropriately and effectively across a variety of settings to support and engage others.
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.
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