Peer Support Worker

The post requires the successful candidate to travel county wide. As part of the Perinatal team the Senior Peer Support Worker (SPSW) through sharing the wisdom of their own lived experience of recovery, 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 SPSW will also facilitate a range of Trust-wide learning and development opportunities, including delivery of the Lived Experience Team Preparation workshops to teams across the Trust. The post holder will provide individual supervision to Peer Support Workers working within the services alongside group supervision to Lived Experience Peer Support Workers across the Trust. They will work alongside newly recruited peer support workers, taking them through our 'Lived Experience Support Induction' and establishing their role within the multidisciplinary team. The post holder will be an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations. All staff should comply with the Trust's Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.

Main duties of the job To support pregnant people or women postnatally who are experiencing mental health challenges to:

• Maintain and develop their independence.
• Build life skills, confidence, resilience and self-esteem.
• Build social networks and reduce isolation.
• Engage in peer support sessions and offer holistic support, advice, information, and if necessary, onward referral to other support.
• Find opportunities to direct their recovery through self-management and choice.
• Access to services and support.
• Encourage positive choice-making.

To support people who are experiencing mental health challenges to:

• Maintain and develop their independence.
• Build life skills, confidence, resilience and self-esteem.
• Build social networks and reduce isolation.
• Engage in peer support sessions and offer holistic support, advice, information, and if necessary, onward referral to other support.
• Find opportunities to direct their recovery through self-management and choice.
• Access to services and support.
• Encourage positive choice-making.

• Work with the service user and, where appropriate, their carers/another meaningful person in developing their own personalised care plan.
• Encourage and motivate individuals to actively participate in their personalised care plan.
• Management of Peer Support staff.

Clinical Responsibility

The post holder will use their personal recovery with individuals using the service in 1:1 or group support. They will

• Model and mentor recovery and demonstrate coping skills.
• Embed a person-centred and recovery-orientated approach in all aspects of the work.
• Inspire hope and share life experiences and lessons learnt.
• Be trauma-informed.

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

The post holder will have line management responsibility of a small team of peer support workers, providing both line management and lived experience supervision.

• To ensure high quality and regular professional supervision of lived experience support workers.
• To contribute to the annual appraisal of staff who are supervised.
• To support individual lived experience support workers in identifying their learning needs.
• To work with the Multi-disciplinary Team colleagues to embed recovery-focused practice within the team, delivering presentations as required.
• To identify the learning needs of the Trust lived experience r support workers and co-produce and co-deliver training activities in response to the needs identified.
• To be actively involved in recruiting peer support workers, including being on interview panels.

Financial Responsibility

• The postholder may be responsible for any devolved budget.
• The postholder is responsible for submitting travel expenses and other costs incurred during the course of duties (pre-authorised by the line manager) in a timely fashion.
• The post holder must treat Trust property and resources carefully and respectfully, ensuring that public funds are used as efficiently as possible.

Service Development and Improvement

• To promote the value of lived experience support and recovery.
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues concerning the specific service user group, peer support and mental health.
• To complete entries in the appropriate care records for each person supported
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues about the specific service user group, lived experience support and mental health.
• To be aware of and teach others about challenging issues about stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.
• To support and guide lived experience support workers in managing their caseload to meet the service requirements.
• To attend clinical, business & service development meetings as required.
• To maintain accurate supervision records of lived experience support workers as defined in Trust Guidelines, including maintaining a supervision record log.
• To contribute to the evaluation of peer support worker roles.
• To lead local audits about the peer support worker's role.

Communications

• To participate in team meetings and contribute to the lived experience perspective.
• To communicate effectively with different staff and people using the service.
• To advocate for personal recovery.
• To be the service user's voice to advocate for their support needs.
• To proactively engage and work with a range of internal services, including Human Resources and Occupational Health to ensure robust processes are in operation for the recruitment and maintenance of wellbeing of the peer support workers.
• To effectively co-deliver training, 'Peer Support Worker Team Preparation' sessions in readiness for peer support workers taking up posts within teams.
• Maintain professional relationships with particular attention to confidentiality and maintaining boundaries.
• To promote employment benefits for those with 'lived experience' of overcoming mental health challenges.
• To challenge any inequalities and to address any discrimination whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation.

Learning and Development

• To participate in mandatory training and development opportunities.
• To contribute and create a personal Development Review/Objective/Appraisal.
• To take part in managerial and lived experience supervision.
• Completed peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
• Evidence of further training about personal recovery principles
• Level 4 LSBU accredited 'Developing Experience in Peer Support' course or equivalent level qualification
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development, Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental health challenges in the perinatal period
• Experience of having personally accessed mental health services
• Ability to demonstrate first-person experiential knowledge of recovery
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• Experience working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker
• Experience working with people with mental health challenges and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
• Recent experience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
• Recent experience in delivering courses and presentations to a wide range of audiences
• Experience in implementing recruitment and selection processes
• Experience in project development
• Experience working both independently as well as providing group and 1:1 activities
• Willing to positively share your own life experiences and personal experience of mental health challenges with people and carers using the service
• Developed personal plans for managing own recovery
• Experience in actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout.

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