Band 3 Peer Support Worker - ICCR

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 11,000 - 17,000; Part time

Job summary

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting 3 Peer Support Workers on a part-time basis across North and East Clinical Mental Health Teams. The role is designed for people with lived experience of mental health challenges who can offer hope, support, and practical guidance to others currently navigating services.

You will work with clinical teams to promote recovery, empower self-advocacy, and help people feel heard.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of mental health challenges, and where relevant homelessness.
• Ability to build trusting, supportive relationships with service users.
• Basic IT skills and ability to maintain records.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one peer support to individuals using our services.
• Co-facilitate groups and contribute to activities.
• Help individuals navigate services and promote self-advocacy.
• Support recovery-focused, trauma-informed approaches.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team to promote engagement.

Skills

Lived mental health experience

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Homelessness awareness

Job description

Job overview

We are excited to be recruiting 3 Peer Support Workers on a part time basis across the following teams: North and East Clinical Mental Health Teams. The Peer Support Worker (PSW) role is designed specifically for individuals who have personal, lived experience of navigating mental health challenges and accessing mental health services. PSWs use this unique perspective to build meaningful, empathetic relationships with others who are currently facing similar experiences. By sharing their own recovery journeys, they offer hope, encouragement, and a powerful reminder that change and growth are possible.

In each setting, PSWs will work alongside clinical teams to support individuals in their recovery, promote self-advocacy, and help people feel heard and understood. Whether it’s offering one-to-one peer support, co-facilitating groups, or helping someone navigate services, PSWs play a vital role in creating a more compassionate, person-centred approach to care.

These roles are an opportunity to make a real difference, bringing authenticity, connection, and hope to those who need it most.

Main duties of the job

As a Peer Support Worker, you will use your lived experience of mental health challenges and where relevant, to build trusting, supportive relationships with individuals accessing our services. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to promote recovery, empowerment, and engagement.

In the Community Mental Health Teams (East and North Birmingham)
You will support individuals navigating secondary mental health services, helping them build confidence, develop independent living skills, and transition between services. You’ll offer emotional support, promote self-advocacy, and contribute to care planning, with a focus on identity, empowerment, and person-centred recovery.

In Clinical Mental Health teams
You will work alongside outreach nurses to engage individuals experiencing homelessness across a range of settings, including HMOs, day centres, and street outreach. Your role will involve building trust, reducing stigma, accompanying individuals to appointments, supporting access to healthcare, and helping people move toward stability and recovery.

Across all roles, you will contribute to a trauma-informed, inclusive culture, using your insight to shape more compassionate and effective care.

Working for our organisation

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

We are unable to support applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work the United Kingdom (UK)

Suitability for role

• Lived experience of mental health challenges / homelessness
• Ability to build trusting, supportive relationships
• Basic IT skills and ability to maintain records
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Understanding of recovery-focused and trauma-informed approaches
• Experience of working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Experience supporting others in a peer or voluntary role
• Understanding of boundaries and confidentiality

Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. As part of the selection process you may be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.

Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust. The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.

All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust’s induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process we may contact you via email to advise you of the interview details. Please ensure you access your email account from which you applied regularly once the position has closed. Our selection process may involve more than one interview or assessment.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, please ensure that you check if this role meets the eligibility criteria for sponsorship. Non UK /Republic of Ireland candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . The minimum salary threshold for a Health and Social Care is £25,000 and for the Skilled Worker route is £38,700. If the starting salary for this role is below this, we will not be able to provide sponsorship.

• Relocation expenses may be reimbursed subject to eligibility. The policy provides for reimbursement up to £8,000.

Please note - if you are applying for a role within Police custody, due to Police Vetting requirements you must have been a UK resident for the last years.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.