Peer Support Worker

Job Summary

Livewell Southwest is seeking a highly motivated and compassionate Peer Support Worker to join our team. As a Peer Support Worker, you will play a vital role in supporting individuals with mental health needs to achieve their recovery goals. You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team to provide peer support and practical assistance to service users and their carers, empowering them to regain control over their lives and build connections with their local communities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide peer support and practical assistance to service users and their carers to empower them to regain control over their lives and build connections with their local communities.
• Work closely with a multidisciplinary team to provide support and guidance to service users and their carers.
• Develop and maintain supportive relationships with service users and their carers.
• Accompany service users to appointments with agencies across the pathway, including third sector agencies, to undertake practical tasks aligned to recovery goals.
• Attend meetings and other formal or informal communication events linked to the work of the team, as directed by the team manager.
• Liaise appropriately with other agencies as part of supporting the delivery of care.
• Share ideas about ways of achieving recovery goals, drawing on personal experience and a range of coping, self-help and self-management techniques.
• Assist others to create their own recovery plans, make and record advanced decisions.
• Support patients to identify and overcome fears within a relationship of empathy and trust.
• Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness.
• Monitor mental health of service users and report changes to qualified staff so that the care plan can be kept fully up to date.
• Be aware of fluctuations in mental health.
• Work with service users and carers to work towards recovery.
• Encourage social/physical activities as identified within the care plan.
• Promote independence and recovery.
• Be able to respond effectively to any concerns of abuse and know procedures they need to follow to escalate their concerns.
• Participate in, support and maintain positive interventions and planned activity programmes to improve the person's quality of life.
• Record contacts, interventions and observations on the electronic record systems.

Responsibility for People Management

• Be involved in the continued development of the PSW training programme and in the ongoing evaluation of the PWP role.
• Participate in and support students learning along with other members of the team.

Responsibility for Financial and or Physical Resources

• The post holder will have no direct responsibility for finance; however, they will adhere to relevant LWSW policies on financial issues.
• The post holder will use Livewell resources in a sustainable way.
• To have a knowledge and understanding of counter fraud.

Responsibility for Administration

• To plan own diary and maintain accurate records of all activity.
• Maintain up to date electronic records in a timely and accurate manner.
• Maintain confidentiality of information being aware of LWSW policies and local protocols and keeping up to date with changes.
• To regularly access email and other information through Livewell SouthWest Intranet.

Responsibility for People who use our Services

• The PSW will work with a number of service users on a 1 to 1 or group basis.
• The post holder will form and maintain supportive relationships with service users.
• The post holder will promote better mental health by acting as a suitable role model.
• The post holder will accompany service users to appointments with agencies across the pathway, third sector agencies to undertake a number of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
• To attend meetings and other formal or informal communication events linked to the work of the team, as directed by team manager.
• To liaise appropriately with other agencies as part of supporting the delivery of care.
• The post holder will share ideas about ways of achieving recovery goals, drawing on personal experience and a range of coping, self-help and self-management techniques.
• To assist others to create their own recovery plans, make and record advanced decisions.
• To support patients to identify and overcome fears within a relationship of empathy and trust.
• To model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness.
• To monitor mental health of service users and report changes to qualified staff so that the care plan can be kept fully up to date.
• Be aware of fluctuations in mental health.
• Work with service users and carers to work towards recovery.
• Encourage social/physical activities as identified within the care plan.
• Promote independence and recovery.
• Be able to respond effectively to any concerns of abuse and know procedures they need to follow to escalate their concerns.
• To participate in, support and maintain positive interventions and planned activity programmes to improve the person's quality of life.
• Record contacts, interventions and observations on the electronic record systems.

Responsibility for Implementation of Policy and or Service Developments

• To abide by the PSW code of conduct, so that the central focus of work, inspiring recover, is not compromised in any way.
• To comply with Livewell southwest policies and procedures relevant to the role.
• To report any observed incident of unprofessional behaviour, accidents and or incidents, untoward occurrences or faulty equipment.
• To participate professionally in service development and proposed service changes.
• To take part in any audit processes as required.
• Comply with universal infection control precautions and procedures.
• To complete all Mandatory training and other training pertinent to the role, as agreed by line manager.

Other Responsibilities

• The post holder will be aware of and work within their own limits, and competencies.
• Be punctual for work and conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with Livewell policies.

Person Specification

• To be able to mobilise across Plymouth throughout the working day.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of mental health.
• Awareness of safeguarding principles.
• Basic IT skills.
• Good communication and listening skills.
• Organisational skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• An awareness to maintain professional Boundaries.
• Awareness of own limits and boundaries in relation to own job role.
• Good written communication.
• Willingness to positively share your own life experiences, personal experiences of your own ill health with service users and carers.
• Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service users.
• Sensitive understanding of diversity issues and ability to promote anti-discriminatory practice/ equal opportunities.
• Resilience.

Desirable

• A basic understanding of physical health presentation.

Experience

• Lived experience of using mental health services.
• Previous care experience with people who have mental health difficulties.

Specific Skills

• Ability to manage time and plan work.
• To complete clinical records.
• To take leadership and direction from qualified staff.
• To participate in unsupervised tasks and provide accurate feedback to relevant parties.
• Ability to work in a team effectively.

Qualifications

• Vocational Qualification Level III or equivalent qualification/skills/knowledge and ability to work to this level.
• To complete the NCFE level 2 in understanding and supporting people with mental health needs and complete care certificate within the first 6 months of joining unless already obtained.

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