Part-time Male Peer Support Worker x 0.5 FTE Post

Job description

Job responsibilities

PEER SUPPORT WORKER - Main Responsibilities

Using lived experience to deliver peer support interventions

Use their own lived experience of mental ill health and/or accessing mental health services to provide both emotional and practical support for service users.

Work from a person centred, strength-based approach that responds to what the individual feels will support their recovery

Delivery of short-term 1-1 Peer Support sessions with service users focussed on talking through their emotional challenges, building coping mechanisms and working together to meet their wellbeing goals.

Delivery of short term, facilitated group peer support to allow service users to develop their own peer support networks and find strategies to improve and manage their own condition

To be able to provide time-limited peer support that empowers service users to build confidence and take ownership of their own recovery. To avoid creating dependency by safely ending peer relationships in agreement with service users.

Assessing needs/goals, developing peer plans and measuring/reporting outcomes

To conduct a person-centred, holistic wellbeing assessment that identifies goals and develops a peer plan to support and sustain positive mental wellbeing, building on assessment and referral notes from clinical teams.

To monitor the effectiveness of interventions offered through the routine use of outcome monitoring tools reviewed directly with Service Users.

To maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all work delivered on relevant data systems and to contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of our services

To provide qualitative and quantitative reports on service outputs and service users' outcomes as per the contract requirement with SWLSTG and NHS England.

Connecting and encouraging links with community resources

Support Service Users in identifying how to manage their daily lives and offering key resources to support their wellbeing.

Provide help to navigate the health and wellbeing system and through person-centred approaches connect into community resources to reduce isolation and improve wellbeing.

Supporting access to local services to promote community inclusion, connection, enable sustainable recovery and increase awareness of support available in the wider community.

Offer practical support to help people access the right services and support based on needs, preferences and the options available.

Partnership work and collaborations with clinical teams

Work as part of the wider Peer Support team, liaising with the Peer Support Coordinators, Community Mental Health Team, managing new referrals and working in partnership with Peer Support colleagues in partner agencies.

To attend clinical team meetings such as Daily Integrated Allocation Meeting and Multidisciplinary Teams when appropriate to promote peer support service and discuss case allocation.

To attend regular line management supervision, peer catch ups and reflective spaces and to attend other team meetings as appropriate including occasional meetings/ training days

Service user participation and safeguarding

To maintain high levels of safeguarding awareness and to respond to risk and safeguarding issues as they arise whilst respecting the Service Users autonomy wherever possible.

To ensure Service Users voices are always central to service developments and contributing to Service Users participation and engagement activities in the Charity

Other service and organisational duties/needs

Undertaking direct promotion and publicity of the Charitys services to Service Users, communities and professionals

To actively implement and adhere to the Charitys policies and procedures, including equalities, inclusion and diversity, safeguarding, GDPR, Health & Safety & Service User engagement policies.

To confidently use Microsoft tools including Teams, Excel, Word, Power Point and Access, as well as other operational programmes that support the development and promotion of the service.

This list isn't exhaustive, and the post holder might be required to support other tasks in the interest of the project and the organisation

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Skills and Attitudes
• Ability to work consistently with high levels of empathy, warmth and unconditional positive regard
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with Service Users, their families, carers, community groups, and partner agencies
• Ability to help clients identify recovery goals and support needs, as well as identifying other people and services that might help achieve these goals
• Flexible attitude including a willingness and ability to offer a range of mental health support and to contribute to new initiatives and ways of working
• IT skills to manage record-keeping systems and facilitate monitoring and reporting procedures to meet contractual requirements.
• Ability to maintain professional working boundaries whilst offering flexible, compassionate support to clients
• Ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team in a busy and varied role
• Able to undertake regular travel within Wandsworth, work remotely or make home visits where appropriate with colleagues from SWLStG
• Ability to promote mutuality and reciprocity, as well as identify and address dependency
• Ability to build safe, trusting relationships with individuals based on non-judgmental listening and shared lived experience
• Willingness to undertake training as necessary and as part of professional development, including Peer Support Worker training
• Willingness to regularly attend peer support reflective space meetings and one-on-one catch-up sessions with the peer support coordinator

Desirable

• Skills and Attitudes
• Ability to identify, assess and manage risk when working with individuals (D)
• Commitment to working collaboratively, linking with other community resources, including the Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Project (EMHIP) (D)

Experience

Essential

• Able to draw on personal lived experience of mental health challenges, using mental health services and working on personal recovery journey
• Experience of providing 1-2-1 support (social, emotional or practical) to people living with a mental health condition either professionally or personally
• Ability to actively engage with a wide range of Service Users and understanding of the issues people with mental health issues face in their lives
• Knowledge and understanding of a strength-based approach and ability to use lived experience to role model hope and to support peoples recovery
• Understanding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and commitment to providing an inclusive, culturally sensitive service (E)
• Understanding of confidentiality and how these apply when handling service user information
• Understanding of legislation and policies related to the role, including the Care Act, Equality Act and the Mental Capacity Act

Desirable

• Experience in facilitating group work and delivering psycho-educational material (D)
• Knowledge of mental health conditions, and the services and systems that support people experiencing mental ill health (D)
• Experience in recording data and case notes and experience in using a record management system (D)

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

Mushkil Aasaan

Address

Mushkil Aasaan

Upper Tooting Road

London

SW17 7EW

Employer's website

https://mushkilaasaan.com/ (Opens in a new tab)