Senior Peer Worker

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

We have been working together in a Partnership between Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust for some time, with a single Chair and Chief Executive since 2021 and single Executive Team since 2022. We launched our North London Mental Health Partnership Strategy in May 2023 and in July 2023 our Boards agreed that coming together to create one new Trust is best for our service users, our staff and our local communities. Subject to final approvals, we will be formally established as one new Trust on 1 October 2024.

Our new trust website is: Home | North London Mental Health Partnership

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a number of peer roles for people who have personal experience of mental health challenges and previous experience as a Peer Worker to join a newly developed team in our Crisis Prevention Houses. Peer support has an integral role in the model of care we are developing as part of our community transformation as well as providing career development opportunities for Peer Workers. Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust is developing a new model of service delivery at the Crisis Prevention Houses, a bridge between in patient and community care, in which service users they can attend peer led and co-developed recovery programmes. The ethos is based on the Enablement Approach, facilitated by a clinical team, and majority delivered by staff in Peer roles to support people who use the service with their mental health, wellbeing, education, community engagement, and goals.

Applicants successful in recruitment to Haringey will be part of an exciting transformation programme with the proposed move of the existing crisis house to a new integrated service alongside Safe Haven and Recovery College at the Canning Crescent Centre in Wood Green. This move is expected to take place in 2024.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will utilize their own lived experience of Mental Health Services, drawing on recovery based strategies and role modelling hope. They will work within the Peer Worker team for the house and play a fundamental role in developing and supporting current and new Peer Workers roles in the Crisis Prevention House. These posts will have a clinical caseload by working directly with people referred to the Crisis Prevention Houses. In addition, working closely with the clinical team, and other Peer worker colleagues and collaboratively will work to continue to develop and embed the new service within the Crisis Prevention Houses across Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.

Please note interviews will take place on 02 May 2023.

Working for our organisation

The partnership between Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) is going from strength to strength since it was originally established in 2021 forming the North London Mental Health Partnership.

In order to meet the needs of the new Partnership services you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Enfield and Harringay Trust and Camden and Islington Trust. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

BEH manages the renowned North London Forensic Services (NLFS) which delivers MH care across some of the prisons and provides MH services as HM Young Offenders Institutions in Aylesbury. We are rated as 'Outstanding' by the CQC. We have also been appointed as the lead provider of forensic mental health services across North London managing the devolved New Models of care budget of £170m from 2018/19.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Promote the Peer Worker role, through the provision of information and a range of learning opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team and others across the Trust.
• 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 by supporting with mentoring and teaching of junior peer workers.
• Take an interest in the development of the service through participation in project work and facilitation/co-facilitation of staff development and education sessions
• Contribute to the continuous development of group activities for service users.
• Assume a lead role reflective of any special interests or skills to contribute a personal and unique dimension to the service.

Person specification

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Essential criteria

• Completed BEH Peer Support training or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 4 in care or equivalent OR Minimum of two years working experience in a mental health setting in a peer role.

Desirable criteria

• Degree level qualification.

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential criteria

• Lived experience of mental health problems and experience of using secondary care services.
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users.
• Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery, peer support and co-production/involvement.
• Awareness of treatment outcomes, recovery tools, care planning, assessment of risk.
• Awareness and understanding of the functions of MDT.
• Understanding of clinical and managerial supervision.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others.
• Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners.
• Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others.
• Experience of liaising with other agencies and partners.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health Act 1983 amended 2007

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Essential criteria

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Group facilitation and activity leadership skills.
• Able to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain boundaries and form a positive therapeutic relationship with service users and carers.
• Good IT skills.
• Ability to manage stress and work under pressure.
• Ability to adapt to changing environments, needs and demands.
• Act as a positive role model, dynamic, motivated caring and supportive.

Desirable criteria

• Able to speak and understand more than one language.
• Ability to assess clinical situations quickly and use initiative.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

Essential criteria

• Motivated and enthusiastic
• Adaptable to change
• Committed to equal opportunities and able to work using a non-judgmental manner.
• Contribute to improving the quality of life for service users
• Honest, trustworthy and reliable.

Desirable criteria

• Interested in further professional development.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Essential criteria

• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to travel across a geographical area and various locations within the trust.

References will be required to cover your last 3 years of employment/training. One has to be from your current or most recent employer and the others from your previous employer. The references should be from persons with management responsibility or HR.

If you have been unemployed for a period of four years or more, please give the details of your last employer and one character referee of your choice (not members of your family). If more applicable, references will be requested from your teacher or head of faculty. Please ensure you provide full contact details.

Vacancies that are advertised as Fixed Term Contracts will also be available as secondment opportunities for substantive internal staff.

Please be aware that your documents eg. Passport/NI Card, will be electronically scanned using Home Office accredited Verification System.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts, we will close vacancies before the stated closing date once the first 50 applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

All non-medical posts with the Trust are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the Trust's satisfaction, your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Should you not hear from us within three working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at improving efficiencies within the NHS both to make costs savings for NHS organisations but also to save you time when your employment transfers.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Specification (PDF, 275.2KB)
• Functional Requirements (PDF, 261.8KB)