Role Overview
The role of Eating Disorders Peer Support Worker (PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have personal lived experience of being a parent or carer of a young person who has accessed Eating Disorder Services. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, the Eating Disorders Parent/Carer PSW will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible, and support parents and carers through their own recovery journey.
As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the Eating Disorders Parent/Carer PSW will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to parents and carers in order for them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery journey. They will also work collaboratively with others to assist in improving the wellbeing of parents and carers of individuals accessing eating disorder services.
Within a relationship of mutuality, they will facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self‑determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities.
Central and North West London NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and ensuring those who use the services and those who support them have a positive experience.
Clinical Responsibilities
1. Work with the multi‑disciplinary teams across both the adult and child and adolescent eating disorder service in the support of parents and carers of young people accessing eating disorder services, ensuring their needs are met through promoting strengths‑based practice.
2. Assume a coaching role supporting parent and carers in thinking about their own personal recovery plans in relation to being a parent or carer; this can be delivered individually or in groups.
3. Develop and create promotional materials and undertake a “carers clinic” – a one‑to‑one, short‑term intervention for friends and family of the current cohort of service users, supporting them to develop skills and attend to their own mental health while being in the caring role.
4. Work with members of the MDT to create and utilise evaluation tools in order to assess the impact of the role.
5. Assist parents and carers to identify their own strengths, personal interests and goals, emphasising the importance of their own wellbeing in order to best support the person accessing services.
6. Support parents and carers in making sense of the mental and emotional distress of the young person they are parent or carer to and involve the young person in these conversations as much as possible and appropriate, recognising that each individual's recovery is distinctive and deeply personal.
7. Support parents and carers in making sense of their own experiences of mental and emotional distress in relation to the challenges the young person is facing, being highly sensitive to their use of language and descriptions.
8. Share wisdom, mentor around recovery processes and demonstrate coping skills, using own experience of caring for a young person who has experienced recovery from an eating disorder.
9. Act as a role model to inspire hope, sharing life experiences and lessons learned as a person who has cared for a young person in recovery.
10. Work with some autonomy with complex safety considerations for individuals across community and inpatient contexts.
11. Working jointly with highly skilled colleagues from a variety of professional backgrounds to develop and co‑facilitate carer interventions and ensure co‑production is modelled within the care provided.
12. Attune to safeguarding issues as they may arise within the relevant cohort, utilizing supervision to ensure safety and risk is managed in a recovery‑focused, timely manner.
13. Attend team meetings and contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and review of care with the multi‑disciplinary team.
14. Work together with the young person and their parents or carers in the drawing up of care plans, encouraging and motivating them to take an active role in the plan.
15. Incorporate and promote the “Triangle of Care” within MDT working practice and decision making.
16. Promote parents and carers’ engagement in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with community resources and actively supporting them to access these, maximising opportunities for socially valued roles and positive identity.
17. Assist in the development and implementation of educational and peer‑facilitated parent or carer support groups and activities.
18. Assist parents and carers to maintain a connection with their life beyond being a parent or carer of a young person accessing services.
19. Accept and respect parent or carer’s personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.
This advert closes on Wednesday 29 Apr 2026.
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