Job overview
-To work as an integral and highly valued member of the East London Community Forensic Service, facilitating client-centred activities which inspire hope, control and opportunity for services users who are working towards, or who have already made, the transition from hospital into the community.
-Through sharing aspects of their own lived experience of mental health challenges and of accessing services, the Peer Support Worker (PSW) will inspire hope and the belief that recovery is possible in others. This may include working with service users who have issues with addiction, and/or dual diagnosis.
-To support East London Community Forensic Service’s commitment to addressing inequalities within mental health and criminal justice services, by sharing their own life experiences and by supporting people from diverse backgrounds in their recovery journeys.
-The PSW will act as an ambassador of Recovery with other Trust Recovery Champions, working with external agencies and partner organisations.
Main duties of the job
1. To get to know the service users within the team, and to understand their recovery goals in order to improve their quality of life and to support them to do the things they want to do and live the life they want to lead.
2. To support individuals in identifying personal recovery goals to improve the service users' quality of life and to support them to do the things they want to do and live the life they want to lead.
3. The post holder will develop relationships based on mutuality so they can facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self- determination and opportunities for the fulfillment of socially valued roles.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· *To assist individuals in their Recovery process through sharing lived experiences as Peer Support Workers
·To support service users to direct their own Recovery process through encouraging them to work collaboratively with the team to identify their own goals and needs
·To assist service users to identify their strengths, personal interests and goals and support them toaccess and participate in activities which meet these whilst demonstrating acceptance of and respect towards service users' personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.
·To promote and support service users to maintain and/or develop positive relationships with those within their community and learn how to improve or eliminate unhealthy relationships.
·To positively promote and support inter-dependent living with their community through developing and maintaining extensive knowledge and links within the communities served by ELFT and NELFT and/or in the area the individual service users wish to return to, and supporting them to access these resources, e.g. in relation to vocation, education and leisure.
·To act as a role model and mentor for Recovery using their own experience to inspire hope in others; demonstrating coping skills, sharing life experiences and lessons learned where appropriate.
·To adhere to ELCFS and ELFT Health and Safety protocols To ensure any concerns regarding an individual's wellbeing, including issues of safeguarding, are raised with the team.
·To participate in the promotion of the Recovery Peer Support Worker role and the delivery of activities to all services users and professionals within the team.
·To offer practical and emotional support, through lived experience, with the challenges associated with making the transition from hospital to the community.
*Peer Support Workers do not provide psychotherapy or counselling services and the support given is best described as life coaching. They also do not provide assistance with general household tasks, in particular there will be absolutely no handling of cash or driving service users to healthcare appointments.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
4. •ELFT accreditation certificate in Peer Support Work
Experience
Essential criteria
5. Post holders must have direct, personal, lived experience of using mental health services as a service user.
Desirable criteria
6. Experience of working in a small team.
7. Supporting individuals to resolve their own problems.
8. Working within a referral system.
9. Supporting people with addiction issues/ dual diagnosis, to work towards recovery.
10. Working with a range of disadvantaged groups e.g. disabled people, BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
11. Commitment to equal opportunities and confidentiality.
12. An ability to deal with information in a confidential manner and respond with sensitivity to the opinions of others.
Desirable criteria
13. Commitment to involving service users in their own recovery.
14. Sound understanding of peer support work and its role in the recovery from mental health problems.
15. Ability to work in a small team.
16. Empathetic to needs of individuals.
17. Good written and verbal communication skills.Excellent active listening skills and ability to ask open questions.
18. Clear understanding of how to manage boundaries.
19. Flexible and accommodating to needs of service users.
20. Ability to support peers to identify what’s important to them.
21. Ability to work with a diverse range of service users.
22. Imaginative, determined, committed and solution-focused.
23. Ability to work under pressure.
24. Enabling service users to make their own choices and decisions without offering advice.
25. Good organisational skills e.g. diary management, managing appointments with service users.
26. IT skills e.g. Microsoft Office.