Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
The Peer Support Worker will be integral to the team using an approach called Peer Support Open Dialogue. This is where decisions about mental health care are facilitated through 'network meetings'. These meetings focus on enabling a person, their family and networks (i.e whoever the person considers to be important in their life) to take more control and work together to support recovery.
The PSW role has been developed for people who have significant personal, lived experience of mental ill health and receiving care in a mental health service, either using services yourself or as a family member.
You must be willing to positively share your own life experiences, including your experience of mental health and assist people, through the Open Dialogue approach, to raise their aspirations and develop personal goals.
A Peer Support Worker may work alongside the mental health team colleagues or work without direct supervision. We are looking to appoint someone for 25 hour posts to be based at Birkenhead.
Flexible working options available.
Main duties of the job
1. Through the provision of formalised peer support & practical assistance, a Peer Support Worker will model positive peer support & use parts of their recovery story to empower individuals to achieve their recovery hopes, dreams & goals.
2. Establish supportive, empathetic, non-directive & respectful relationships, that allow individuals using mental health services to recognise their own strengths & abilities.
3. Facilitate access to information & education that can inform an individual about their decisions.
4. Liaise with other professionals & individuals to plan delivery of care & support including voluntary & community organisations, education, Recovery College, work & leisure.
5. Establish & maintain effective & appropriate communication & working relationships that respects everyone's views, autonomy, & culture.
6. Participate in comprehensive training in Peer Support and Open Dialogue, ongoing learning, development & network meetings with peer support colleagues.
7. Some travel around the locality will be required.
About us
It is important that you include in your application form your personal experience of mental health, use of mental health services and recovery. You will be shortlisted for interview in accordance with your description of how you meet the Essential Criteria.
CWP provides health and care services for local people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care - including the provision of three GP surgeries.
Our aim is to help people to be the best they can be, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We were recently rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission with a Good rating overall.
CWP are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences.
Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description for full details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Good general education, GCSE or other relevant vocational training or knowledge acquired through experience.
* Completion of Peer Support Worker training OR a willingness to undertake.
* NVQ level 3 or equivalent knowledge or experience.
* Willingness to work towards appropriate health and care qualification e.g. NVQ3.
* Willingness to undertake training in line with development of the peer support role.
Knowledge and Expertise
* Able to demonstrate an understanding of the values and principles of Peer Support.
* Willing to positively share your own life experiences, personal experience of mental ill health with service users and carers.
* Knowledge of personal recovery and developed plans for managing own recovery.
* Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers.
* Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust.
* Good verbal and written communication skills.
* Ability to appreciate / understand other people's worlds.
* Basic knowledge of IT including Microsoft Office and willingness to learn specific Trust IT systems.
* Completion of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan or similar recovery plan.
* An understanding of voluntary and community resources and how to access them.
* Experience of connecting across different organisation boundaries.
Experience
* Personal lived experience of mental health challenges.
* Personal experience of accessing secondary mental health services.
* Experience of supportive and enabling relationships.
* Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid).
* Experience of using techniques that support self-management.
* Experience of sharing own personal experience.
* Experience of supporting individuals access services beyond mental health.
* Experience of delivering training/education sessions.
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 name
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
£22,816 to £24,336 a year (pro rata)
#J-18808-Ljbffr