Mental Health Support Worker (Crisis) – Cafe & Helpline

Do you want to support people with mental health issues in a moment of crisis? Are you calm, non-judgemental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress? If you can embody our values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness, and Responsiveness, and want to help others build resilience and manage their wellbeing, we’d love to hear from you.

Nightlight Crisis Café/Helpline Support Worker Reference: 389 Responsible to: Nightlight Crisis Café/Helpline Coordinator Contract: Permanent Hours: Part-Time. Between 15 hours – 30 hours per week Work Pattern: 17:30 – 01:30, working across a 7-day flexible rota including some weekends Salary: £26,000, increased to £26,775 following successful probation (pro-rata for part-time) Working base: Watford, Stevenage, Ware or Hatfield Crisis Café (with expectation to travel to other sites where necessary, with mileage paid when not working at base).

About the Role

You will be a key member of the staff team delivering the Nightlight Mental Health Crisis Services. Taking part in a rota covering 7 days per week, ensuring the delivery of high-quality crisis support, and instilling Hertfordshire Mind’s values throughout the Crisis Cafe/Helpline services. Working closely with other staff such as the Service Manager, Team Leads, Coordinators, Support Workers and volunteers in order to ensure services are of the highest quality and to support the continued growth and development of the service.

About the Nightlight Service

Hertfordshire Mind’s Nightlight Service (Cafés, Helpline, 24/7 Crisis House, A&E Liaison service and Daylight provision) is proud to provide urgent support, crisis intervention, and emotional support to people experiencing a mental health crisis in Hertfordshire as an alternative to statutory pathways.

We provide support to adults across Hertfordshire 7 days a week, 365 days a year through our Helpline, Cafes and 24/7 Crisis House. We aim to provide a safe space for people in crisis to talk and feel supported, be listened to without judgement, access relevant support with problem solving and facilitate access to external services when necessary. As a member of our diverse team, you will work closely with service users in crisis, by using a person-centred approach to ensure that everyone is supported with dignity and respect. By honouring the individual experience of each service user, we are able to respect their autonomy as well as encourage and facilitate positive steps towards management of crisis and recovery.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing emotional support and developing, alongside service users, flexible and realistic crisis support/person-centred plans within agreed guidelines with support from the leadership team (including assessments of need, risk, crisis support plans and review forms) in person or via telephone.

• Drawing upon own lived experience as appropriate to inform the delivery of person-centred support where appropriate.

• Providing immediate advice and information to service users to support with crisis presentations.

• Liaising with Nightlight management and external services e.g. Police, Ambulance, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Single Point of Access, Safeguarding Out of Hours Service, Mental Health Liaison Teams, Adult Community Mental Health Services etc. as needed in terms of supporting individuals and proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitating appropriate support.

• Completing appropriate signposting/onward referrals to both internal and external services in accordance with identified needs and risks.

• Ensuring record keeping is always maintained to the required standards and contributing to service monitoring requirements.

• Arranging transport for service users to facilitate access to services as needed.

• Participating in training and development opportunities as agreed with your line manager

• Supporting service users when visiting the Cafe in order to promote a safe, welcoming and hospitable environment, assisting with housekeeping/cleaning tasks where necessary

We offer:

• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 29 days after 5 years employment (plus 8 days Bank Holidays)

• An additional day of leave each year for your birthday following completion of probation period.

• Ongoing training relevant to your role.

• An Employee Assistance Programme.

• Health cover (after 6 months employment) – compensation payment for Optical, Dental, Chiropody and Therapy Treatments.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 13th November. Interviews to be held w/c 16th November in our Watford Wellbeing Centre. N.B: Please quote reference number 389 when completing your application for this role.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We want people from all backgrounds to apply, no matter your gender, disability, marital or parental status, race, colour, religion, or sexual orientation. We make sure everyone has a fair chance, especially those with disabilities or special needs.

Hertfordshire Mind is committed to the Disability Confident and Mindful Employer charters, and the Care Leaver Covenant. We actively recruit staff who have a lived experience of mental ill health. Our inclusive approach recognises the unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that lived experience brings to our team.

No agencies please