Deaf Peer Support Worker

NHS Jobs; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Deaf Peer Support Worker to provide peer support for individuals who are deaf and experiencing mental distress. The role emphasises empathetic, culturally informed engagement, using accessible communication methods including BSL to help service users regain control of their recovery journey.

You will work within a multidisciplinary team, advocate for recovery-focused practice and contribute to service development, while maintaining

Qualifications

• Must have lived experience of deafness and mental distress.
• Ability to use active listening and accessible communication methods (including BSL).
• Willing to undergo DBS checks and ongoing DBS Update Service participation.

Responsibilities

• Establish supportive, culturally informed relationships with deaf people using mental health services and their families.
• Share your lived experience to build trust and understanding while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Support people to work towards personal recovery goals with encouragement and practical guidance.
• Promote recovery-focused language and advocate for deaf awareness in the team and with partner organisations.
• Maintain clear, strength-based clinical records and contribute to service development.

Skills

Lived experience of deafness and mentо

Job description

Experiencing mental distress can be isolating and overwhelming, particularly for deaf individuals who may also face communication barriers, cultural misunderstandings, or stigma within their communities. The Deaf Peer Support Worker role has been developed specifically for people with lived experience of both deafness and mental distress. By drawing on this unique combination of experiences, Deaf Peer Support Workers offer empathy, cultural understanding, and hope demonstrating that recovery is possible. In this role, you will provide peer support alongside practical assistance, helping people regain control of their lives and shape their own recovery journey. Through relationships built on mutuality, shared experience, and accessible communication, you will promote choice, selfdetermination, and opportunities for meaningful connection within local deaf and wider communities. You will also act as a recovery champion within the team and an ambassador for recoveryfocused practice across the Trust and partner organisations. As part of the developing peer workforce, you will be encouraged to invest in your own personal and professional development and contribute to the ongoing growth of peer roles within the Trust. Key Responsibilities Establish supportive, culturally informed relationships with deaf people using mental health services and their families, grounded in the core principles of peer support (mutual, reciprocal, strengthsfocused, safe, progressive, nondirective, recoveryfocused, and inclusive). Share your own lived experience of deafness and mental health recovery to build trust, connection, and understanding, while maintaining professional boundaries. Use active listening and accessible communication methods (including BSL or preferred communication modes) to help individuals develop selfunderstanding and identify their personal recovery goals. Support people to work towards the goals they have identified for themselves, offering encouragement, practical guidance, and hope. Rolemodel recovery, personal responsibility, and selfawareness, demonstrating that positive change is achievable. Promote recoveryfocused and inclusive language across the service by modelling strengthsbased, nondiscriminatory, nonmedicalised communication in all interactions. Champion deaf awareness and culturally appropriate practice, helping colleagues understand the experiences, barriers, and strengths within the deaf community. Work collaboratively with the wider multidisciplinary team, contributing a livedexperience perspective to service development and delivery. Maintain clear, strengthsfocused clinical records, ensuring accessibility and accuracy. Work in line with the Peer Support Worker Competency Framework, upholding the values and standards of peer practice. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £20.00 (standard) or £41.00 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £15 per year applies.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust