Barnet, Greater London
Salary: £21,500 per year
Contract Type: Contract 12 month Fixed Term Contract, Full-time
Contracted Hours: 35 hours per week (1 FTE)
Team: Wellbeing Services
Responsible to: Project Lead
Responsible for: None
Location
You will be based at a designated CommUNITY Barnet office. You may be asked to work from other locations on occasion. You may also be asked to work remotely where appropriate.
Purpose of the Role
This is an innovative new service, integrating the expertise, skills and knowledge of the network in Barnet with NHS Mental Health services. The purpose of the role is to provide peer led psycho-social support to clients, working within specialist Mental Health teams and the VCS delivery partners. This role will also serve to enhance the work of the MH teams, and other practitioners within the service, to ensure it remains clients focused, recovery informed, and embedded with experience led practice.
The role will carry an active caseload, working with clients to determine their recovery needs, identifying resources available within the community, providing expert advice and support, facilitating recovery focused peer support groups, and contributing to the development of new community resources.
Duties
- Build a therapeutic relationship with clients using a person-centred approach/social model of care.
- Work collaboratively as part of the multidisciplinary team with clients to develop their recovery plan and promote personal responsibility.
- Advocate the views and interest of clients, at their request, while accessing other local community and statutory services.
- Use valuable lived experience in all appropriate situations, including to build rapports with clients and engage with the stigma of mental health challenges, with support from the team manager.
- Act a mentor and role model the ability to have a meaningful life.
- Build relationships with the local community and statutory services and connect clients to those resources and to support positive engagement.
- Record client clinical information on the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Trust’s electronic patient records system (RIO).
Client Support
- To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with clients.
- Work with clients to help them identify their own meaningful recovery and personal goals drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
- Encourage and motivate service users to create co-produced care plans and enable clients to engage with the actions of their care plan.
- Role model recovery, self-advocacy, self-awareness and personal responsibility to inspire hope and confidence in clients using your experience of recovery.
- Share/teach coping self-help, self-management techniques and tools.
- Work in a strength-based way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths.
- Support clients to identify and overcome fears and challenge negative self-talk.
- Assist service users to map their wellbeing and recovery by using a variety of tools, such as a Dialog+, Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan or BEH My Wellbeing Plans.
- Facilitate and co-deliver psychoeducation and other recovery courses where possible
- Facilitate and co-deliver recovery and peer groups where possible.
- Work closely with carers/family members to enable clients to continue their recovery journey in the community.
- Connect clients to community groups and networks that enable them to participate in community activities and progress in their recovery journey.
- Support service users in discharging planning and building connections and resources in the community.
- Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings where they need additional support.
- Ensure notes are written accordingly into Barnet, Enfield and Haringey’s RIO, within the policy of the Trust.
Peer Workforce Development & Coordination
- Promote the Peer Worker role, through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team and others across system partners.
- Promote embedding recovery values within the service and act as an ambassador of the Enablement principles with external agencies and partner organisations.
- Engage in co-production activities or projects and support clients to engage in co-production within service development.
- Promote recovery best practice and role model jargon and medical free language across the Trust.
- Contribute to the on-going development of the Peer workforce.
- Provide reports on service delivery, issues, and monitoring information as required.
Training and Development
- To attend all relevant mandatory training and personal development opportunities related to the Peer Worker role.
- To participate in monthly peer-to-peer supervision.
- To participate in regular managerial supervision from line-manager
- To participate in regular clinical supervision within the Locality Hub to ensure recovery focused oversight.
- To participate in the organisation’s annual Appraisal process.
Quality & Patient Safety
The post holder will be expected to adhere and comply with the policies and governance of the Wellbeing Together CIC in accordance with the Trust, including NICE guidance and best practice guidelines. This includes but is not limited to:
- Protection of Children & Vulnerable Adults
- Incident Reporting
- Identification, management and reduction of risk
- Monitoring of quality and compliance
- Health and Safety, and the environment for patients/clients, visitors and staff
- Infection Control
- Equal Opportunities
- Health and Safety
- Information Governance
General
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
- The post holder will be expected to work flexibly dependent on the needs and carry out other reasonable duties relevant to demands of the service.
- To support the wider work of the VCS Partnership/ home organisation to reach its aims and objectives.
- Has a personal duty of care to ensure all equipment is used safely and effectively, following manufacturer’s instructions, immediately reporting any defects in accordance with local procedures.
- Uses available resources effectively and efficiently.
Duties
- Build a therapeutic relationship with clients using a person-centred approach/social model of care.
- Work collaboratively as part of the multidisciplinary team with clients to develop their recovery plan and promote personal responsibility.
- Advocate the views and interest of clients, at their request, while accessing other local community and statutory services.
- Use valuable lived experience in all appropriate situations, including to build rapports with clients and engage with the stigma of mental health challenges, with support from the team manager.
- Act a mentor and role model the ability to have a meaningful life.
- Build relationships with the local community and statutory services and connect clients to those resources and to support positive engagement.
- Record client clinical information on the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Trust’s electronic patient records system (RIO).
Client Support
- To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with clients.
- Work with clients to help them identify their own meaningful recovery and personal goals drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
- Encourage and motivate service users to create co-produced care plans and enable clients to engage with the actions of their care plan.
- Role model recovery, self-advocacy, self-awareness and personal responsibility to inspire hope and confidence in clients using your experience of recovery.
- Share/teach coping self-help, self-management techniques and tools.
- Work in a strength-based way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths.
- Support clients to identify and overcome fears and challenge negative self-talk.
- Assist service users to map their wellbeing and recovery by using a variety of tools, such as a Dialog+, Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan or BEH My Wellbeing Plans.
- Facilitate and co-deliver psychoeducation and other recovery courses where possible
- Facilitate and co-deliver recovery and peer groups where possible.
- Work closely with carers/family members to enable clients to continue their recovery journey in the community.
- Connect clients to community groups and networks that enable them to participate in community activities and progress in their recovery journey.
- Support service users in discharging planning and building connections and resources in the community.
- Accompany service users, if appropriate, to appointments/meetings where they need additional support.
- Ensure notes are written accordingly into Barnet, Enfield and Haringey’s RIO, within the policy of the Trust.
Peer Workforce Development & Coordination
- Promote the Peer Worker role, through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team and others across system partners.
- Promote embedding recovery values within the service and act as an ambassador of the Enablement principles with external agencies and partner organisations.
- Engage in co-production activities or projects and support clients to engage in co-production within service development.
- Promote recovery best practice and role model jargon and medical free language across the Trust.
- Contribute to the on-going development of the Peer workforce.
- Provide reports on service delivery, issues, and monitoring information as required.
Training and Development
- To attend all relevant mandatory training and personal development opportunities related to the Peer Worker role.
- To participate in monthly peer-to-peer supervision.
- To participate in regular managerial supervision from line-manager
- To participate in regular clinical supervision within the Locality Hub to ensure recovery focused oversight.
- To participate in the organisation’s annual Appraisal process.
Quality & Patient Safety
The post holder will be expected to adhere and comply with the policies and governance of the Wellbeing Together CIC in accordance with the Trust, including NICE guidance and best practice guidelines. This includes but is not limited to:
- Protection of Children & Vulnerable Adults
- Incident Reporting
- Identification, management and reduction of risk
- Monitoring of quality and compliance
- Health and Safety, and the environment for patients/clients, visitors and staff
- Infection Control
- Equal Opportunities
- Health and Safety
- Information Governance
General
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
- The post holder will be expected to work flexibly dependent on the needs and carry out other reasonable duties relevant to demands of the service.
- To support the wider work of the VCS Partnership/ home organisation to reach its aims and objectives.
- Has a personal duty of care to ensure all equipment is used safely and effectively, following manufacturer’s instructions, immediately reporting any defects in accordance with local procedures.
- Uses available resources effectively and efficiently.
Working conditions
- Role may involve working within a ward or within the community supporting service users as outlined above.
Person Specification
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
Essential
Experience
- Lived experience of mental health problems and experience of using secondary care services.
- Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others
- Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role
- Experience of working in a team or a group environment
- Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques
- Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery
- Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users
- Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
- Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Computer literate
- Ability to work collaboratively with team and partner organisations
- Ability to self-reflect, and draw upon personal and professional resources to support your work and own wellbeing
Skills and Ability
- Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Computer literate
- Ability to work collaboratively with team and partner organisations
- Ability to self-reflect and draw upon personal and professional resources to support your work and own wellbeing.
Personal Qualities
- Motivated and enthusiastic
- Flexibility and Reliability
Other Requirements
- Ability to accompany peers to appropriate appointments
- A willingness to work flexibly through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate.
Desirable
Experience
- Psychiatric hospital admission
- Experience of working in the public sector
- Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others
- Experience of working across different organisational boundaries
- Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners
- Understanding the challenges and opportunities for creating new pathways within our communities.
- Understanding of the service delivery goals of the care pathway
- Knowledge of local policies in respect of safeguarding children and the protection of vulnerable adults
Skills and Abilities
- Presentation skills
- Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel etc
- Able to speak and understand more than one language
Other Requirements
Ability to travel by car or public transport
Education & Qualification
Essential
- Good level of secondary education to GCSE level, or equivalent
- Level of educational attainment to NVQ 3 / AS
Level or equivalent
- Completion of the Peer Worker Training within 6 months of the contract start date
- Completion of a Wellness at Work plan (or equivalent) within 2 months of the contract start date
Desirable
- Related Health or Social Care qualification
- Willingness to undertake further training relevant to and in line with the development of peer support role
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