Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve. As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including: • Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care. • Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support. • Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults. The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time. For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT. Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them. Job overview Do you have experience of using mental health services? Would you like to use these experiences to support other people and their families receiving these services? Can you inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible - empowering our service users to achieve their hopes, dreams and goals? Are you are willing to share your own experiences with others, if so we are looking to recruit Peer Facilitators with lived experience of using mental health services to join our Inpatient Teams. Peer Facilitators will receive support and training to enable them to carry out the day-to-day duties of the post and as employees of the Trust, will have full access to our staff health and wellbeing offer, including supervision and other occupational health services. Having an empathic understanding of a service users' experience when admitted to a mental health inpatient unit that is supported by the following: Ability to encourage participation, good communication skills or willingness to develop these. Ability to listen without bias and to objectively see both sides of an issue. Ability to feedback information in a constructive manner. Ability to use lived experience in a positive and appropriate way with an awareness of own personal recovery journey. Open, honest, friendly and have a willingness to work as part of a team. The post holder will work within our Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services at Skylark Inpatient unit, Royal Preston Hospital. Main duties of the job To work primarily in direct work with service users on a 1:1 and in group settings as agreed with team supervisor and team manager. To help individuals to consider employment opportunities and identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals. To support or facilitate Patient meetings on the ward to provide service users with the opportunity to share their experience of the ward community during their inpatient stay. To actively, practically and creatively support an individual to progress their recovery through co-facilitating interventions on a 1:1 and group basis. To support the implementation of groups; i.e. job clubs and recovery college workshops to enable service users to write CV's and create email addresses. To support service users in developing in other areas and skills. Supporting and motivating clients to deal with highly emotional circumstances in order for them to move into the community and potentially forward into paid employment. To undertake other duties as may be required suitable to the banding of the post. This is an outline of the post holder's duties and responsibilities. It is not intended as an exhaustive list and may change from time to time in order to meet the changing needs of the Trust and Department. Working for our organisation Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care. The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area. At ELCAS (East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Services) our vision is to be a centre of excellence providing high quality Child and Adolescent psychological and mental health services that exceed people's expectations. We have been accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Quality Network for Community CAMHS (QNCC) since 2016. In 2019 the CQC rated us as Outstanding in providing Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led services, and as Outstanding overall. For more information, please visit our website via Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. Detailed job description and main responsibilities The list of roles and responsibilities for this post are detailed in the Job Description and Person Specification - attached to this advert. Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria English language, literacy, and numeracy skills to the standard necessary to provide clear, understandable records Completion of own personal recovery plan such as the Health and Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) and or advanced statement. Skills Essential criteria Able to relate to a wide range of people, with excellent interpersonal skills Evidence of self-awareness and ability to question self, and effectively reflect on practice Evidence of ability to manage conflict and to help others do so Evidence of working with others on a 1 to 1 basis and within groups Able to take personal responsibility for own healthcare, willing to discuss, review and seek support appropriately. Experience Essential criteria Personal lived experience of mental health problems with experience of recovering a meaningful life Independent living Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role Desirable criteria Experience of working in the public sector Psychiatric hospital admission Experience of supporting others Work related circumstances Essential criteria To work flexibly as required by the individual and the employer, which may require some working out of normal office hours Capability to travel as appropriate in working with service users Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Please be aware, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. Failure to do so, may result in your application being withdrawn. We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences. We are looking for you to demonstrate personal experiences of how you meet the essential criteria and as an NHS Employer, we value authenticity and honesty. Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information. Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts. For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s). You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates. LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you'd like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask. Employer certification / accreditation badges Applicant requirements This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Application numbers This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. You are therefore advised to consider applying for this vacancy as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Documents to download JDPS Peer Support Worker (PDF, 608.3KB) NHS Staff Benefits - 2023 (PDF, 556.9KB) We Do More at LSCFT (PDF, 654.2KB)