Peer support workers draw on their lived experience of mental illness and treatment to enhance the care of current service users. This is done by:
• Offering practical advice and support to patients
• Empathetically sharing personal experiences of illness, treatment and recovery
• Providing input into policy, culture and service development initiatives
• Cofacilitating therapeutic activities with service users
As a Peer Support Work Coordinator, you will use your skills and experience as above, and further enhance the contribution of the team by:
• Coordinating peer support interventions
• Providing support and advice to the Peer Support Workers in your team
• Organising peer support workers to deliver therapeutic activities.
Please note, that to apply for this role you cannot be under section as a service user of the North London NHS Foundation Trust (formerly Camden & Islington and Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust).
As a Peer Support Work Coordinator (PSWC) your role will be to enhance the care and support we provide to our Service Users by:
• Providing mentoring and administrative support to a team of Peer Support Workers
• Providing practical and emotional advice and support to Service Users on their road to recovery in groups or through structured one to one peer support sessions.
• Sharing the wisdom from you own lived experience, inspiring hope and belief that recovery is possible for others.
• Taking a lead in representing the value of Lived Experience, Co-Production and Co-Facilitation in our services.
• Helping to develop and facilitate staff training and assist the Service’s managers with recruitment by sitting on interview panels for prospective new staff.
• Being actively involved in the ongoing development of our lived experience provision across the trust.
• You will be given training, mentoring and supervision to ensure that you are confident and feel supported in your role.
As valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, you will work with service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis for the majority of your time. You will also have the opportunity to develop the peer support service, attend training, work on projects and collaborate with colleagues from other specialisms.
You will be reporting to and be supervised by one of the User Engagement Leads. You will receive additional supervision and support from the Trust’s Lived Experience Managers.
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT)is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
Why NLFT?
• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network
The post holder will be aligned with our Values:
• We Are Kind
• We Are Respectful
• We Work Together
• We Keep Things Simple
• We Empower
• We Are Proudly Diverse
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
3.1 Financial responsibility
• Behave honestly and responsibly in all matters relating to trust property.
3.2 Responsibility for Human Resources
• Not applicable
3.3 Responsibility for Administration
• Document the care you provide in line with the Trust’s policy.
• Communicate clearly and responsively with colleagues via email, telephone, etc.
• Ensure Peer Workers time is accounted for and used effectively.
3.4 Responsibility for IT and Digital Systems/Services
• Use IT equipment appropriately and effectively to complete tasks relevant to your role.
4. Clinical Responsibilities
• Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hope by sharing your own recovery story to inspire confidence in service users.
• Establish a trusting, supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
• Share coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.
• Support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.
• Facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities.
• Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
• Ensure that service users’ recovery goals and preferences for care are heard by their team and integrated into care plans where appropriate.
• Work in a way that acknowledges the varied personal, social, cultural and emotional needs of the individual.
• Use your creativity, personal experience and relevant training in deciding on the approach and interventions required when working with a service user.
• Provide professional mentoring for service users in Expert by Experience roles.
5. Operational Responsibilities
• Help the Peer Support Workers organise their time and workload effectively.
• Monitor the wellbeing and performance of your Peer Workers closely to ensure they are well supported and delivering effective care.
• Work with clinical teams and service managers to develop a strategy for the integration of Peer Work across the service.
• Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi-disciplinary team members, service users and carers.
• Demonstrate the value of lived experience to your colleagues through your work.
• Represent the forensic lived experience workforce at meetings and events.
• Attend clinical review meetings to feedback progress, setbacks and reflections on individuals in your care.
• Work alongside other team members in promoting and enabling a recovery focused culture.
• Be positive, compassionate, honest and respectful.
• Engage in peer mentoring and group supervision with the peer workforce.
6. Policy / Service Development
• Support the service to develop new or existing policies and procedures in collaboration with managers and other clinicians.
7. Research And Development
• Provide occasional input into ongoing research projects conducted by the trust as a consultant, drawing on your lived experience.
8. General
• All staff are responsible for the continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes.
• The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trust’s Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures.
9. Personal Development
• Participate in regular supervision and in the Trust’s appraisal process in accordance with good practice guidelines and Trust policy.
• Complete all mandatory training required by your role.
• Speak to your supervisor about any training needs you feel you have, to enable them to support your development.
All staff are required to be appraised by their line managers at least once a year at a personal development review meeting where progress made over the last year is discussed and agreed. Focus on the following year’s departmental and personal objectives will be identified, discussed and agreed. Where necessary, help and support will be provided and development opportunities agreed in line with service provision and the knowledge and skills competency framework.
This advert closes on Monday 24 Feb 2025