Job overview
As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the Peer Support Worker (PSW) will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users in Milton Keynes in order for them to regain control over their lives and progress on their own unique recovery journey.
Through sharing the wisdom of their own lived experience of recovery, the PSW will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. Within a relationship of mutuality, they facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities.
The PSW will take a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service setting in which they work. You will act as an ambassador of recovery for the Community Mental Health Hub and with external agencies and partner organisations.
The PSW will promote their role, through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for the Community Mental Health Hub and more widely.
As a core member of the multi-disciplinary team, the PSW will work with service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis. They will also have the opportunity to co-work with other colleagues.
Please note only candidates who have personal experience of mental health difficulties and have accessed secondary mental health services should apply.
*Please note that the use of AI is monitored and if used in your application must be declared*
Main duties of the job
As a core member of the multi-disciplinary team, the PSW will work with service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis. They will also have the opportunity to co-work with other colleagues.
The PSW will promote their role, through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for the multidisciplinary teams and others across Milton Keynes.
The PSW will support the co-facilitation of Recovery College courses.
The PSW will develop partnership working within the local community as well as with third sector organisations.
Working for our organisation
CNWL is committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based treatment options and is a learning organisation which promotes staff competence and training and values clinical governance, audit and research.
Our values are:
Compassion: Our staff will be led by compassion and embody the values of care outlined in our Staff Charter.
Respect: We will respect and value the diversity of our patients, service users and staff, to create a respectful and inclusive environment, which recognises the uniqueness of each individual.
Empowerment: We will involve, inform and empower our patients, service users, carers and their families to take an active role in the management of their illness and adopt recovery principles. We will ensure our staff receive appropriate direction and support, to enable them to develop and grow.
Partnership: We will work closely with our many partners to ensure that our combined efforts are focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for the people we serve.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. To work with the multi-disciplinary team to deliver support to those individuals accessing the community service.
2. To assume a ‘coaching’ role supporting service users in developing personal recovery plans; this can be delivered individually or in groups.
3. To assist service users to identify their strengths, personal interests and goals.
4. To provide opportunities for service users to direct their own recovery process.
5. To facilitate the individual to move through and beyond the community service.
6. To model/mentor a recovery process and demonstrate coping skills, using own experience of recovery.
7. To act as a role model to service users to inspire hope, share life experiences and lessons learned as a person in recovery.
8. To support service users to negotiate an ‘Advanced Directive’ with all people involved in their care and others who provide support.
9. To contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and review of care with the multi-disciplinary team.
10. To work together with the service user and where possible their carers in the drawing up of care plans encouraging and motivating service users to take an active role in their own care plan.
11. To assist individuals in managing their mental health on a day to day basis including providing support with activities of daily living such as care of self, budgeting, personal care, caring for their home and leisure activities.
12. To positively promote and support independent living for service users in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with community resources and actively supporting service users to access them e.g. in relation to employment, community living and leisure.
13. To assist in the development and implementation of educational and peer facilitated support groups and activities which complement the team plan.
14. To accompany service users to appointments, therapeutic or social community-based activities as appropriate.
15. To support service users in seeking to connect/ reconnect with family, friends, significant others and in learning how to improve or eliminate unhealthy relationships.
16. To assist service users to maintain a connection with their life outside of services.
17. To accept and respect service users' personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.
Vaccination
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
18. Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
19. Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the
20. Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.