Peer Supporter

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) are recruiting for a Peer Supporter to work within their Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders Service (CNDS).
An exciting opportunity has arisen in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust’s (CNTW) Neuro & Specialist Care Group. The role will be for a Peer supporter for the Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders Service (CNDS) based at Walkergate Park Hospital. CNDS is a specialist second opinion Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) service for children and young people. We provide diagnostic assessments where there is uncertainty around diagnosis. In addition we also provide consultation and management advice to local services concerning children and young people who already have an existing Autism diagnosis.
The principal role of the post holder will be to support carers of the young people who are using the service by developing mutual peer relationships based on their own lived experience of caring for someone with ASD.
A key feature of the post will be the person’s unique lived experience of caring for someone with Autism (ASD). Please refer to the role descriptor we have attached.
The majority of the post holder’s time will be devoted to having direct contact with carers and families, mainly on a one to one basis but at times in group settings.
The Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders Service will be hosting an open day on Monday 25th November 2024 at Walkergate Park between:
10am till 12pm
Or
1pm till 4pm
This is an opportunity to meet the teams and find out more about the service, have a look around and discuss the peer support role and ask any questions you may have.
We look forward to meeting you there.
We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.
This will be a challenging, but rewarding role, working with the carers and families of the young people using the service. The post holder must be able to work as part of a team, alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues. They must be confident in working alongside and communicating with people and demonstrate strong recovery values in, inspiring hope and empowerment in others.
As an employee of CNTW, the wellbeing of all of our staff is vitally important. The post holder will have several avenues of support but should also feel confident in their own personal skills and abilities to draw upon their own resilience and strengths to sustain their own wellbeing throughout this role.
The Post will also involve contributing to the continuing development of the Peer Supporter role and linking in with Third sector organisations and/or recovery colleges.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Peer Supporter role will be a vital part of the support CNDS provides to young people and families. The role is aimed at individuals with personal lived experience of supporting and caring for someone with Autism such as a parent or legal guardian. The principal role of the post will be to support the Carer and families of the young people going through an Autism (ASD) assessment with the CNDS multi-disciplinary team. This will include helping the carer and family think about what type of support they might need while going through the assessment process, how best to engage the families and carer in any assessment, how their views are heard within the assessment and support following the potential diagnosis.
Please find attached job description for full details.
**Advertising date**: 5th November 2024
**Closing date**: 3rd December 2024