IPS Peer Support Worker

Cambscommunityservices; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading NHS organization seeks a Peer Support Worker to join their Individual Placement and Support Team in Peterborough. This part-time role is focused on providing support to individuals facing drug and alcohol challenges, helping them achieve their employment goals through shared experiences and mutual understanding. Join a dynamic team and make a significant impact in the community while being part of a rewarding recovery journey.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of a long-term health condition or drug/alcohol addiction.
• Experience in a supportive and enabling role.
• Related Health or Social Care qualification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support peers to identify and overcome fears.
• Co-facilitate wellness recovery action planning sessions.
• Discuss goals for employment and share personal success stories.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Flexibility

Compassion

Education

Good level of secondary education to GCSE level

Completion of Peer Support Worker Training

Job description

Main area Peer Support Worker Grade Band 3 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Until 31st March 2026) Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

12 hours per week Job ref 310-ASMH-7110971

Employer Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site CGL sites Peterborough / Cambridge / Huntingdon / Wisbech Town Peterborough Salary £24,625 - £25,674 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 30/06/2025 23:59

Band 3

Job overview

Do you want to be part of a friendly and dynamic team of Employment Specialists committed to delivering excellent employment support to our service users? If you believe passionately that anyone with drug and alcohol challenges, can work and would like to be part of that journey, then this could be the role for you.

We are currently seeking a Peer Support Worker to join our well established Individual Placement and Support Team embedded into CGL Drug and Alcohol treatment services across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

This is an incredibly rewarding role – you’ll have the opportunity to transform the lives of service users, to give them hope, direction and support their recovery journey.

You will be able to share your own valuable experiences of how you overcame any obstacles to achieve your own career goals and how you continue to move forward in your journey of recovery offering support

You will be based within the Employment Support Service and working with direction from the IPS Employment specialists.

Through sharing your wisdom from your own experiences you will inspire hope and belief that recovery and gaining paid employment is possible in others.

Within a relationship of mutuality, the PSW will facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities.

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

The partnership between the Employment Specialist and Peer Support Worker is crucial to this role; ongoing communication is vital to ensure the needs of the individual you are working with are met.

Support peers to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.

Attend and participate in the team multi-disciplinary team meetings and IPS team meetings as agreed by the Employment Specialist and IPS Team Manager.

Discuss goals for employment with individuals who are referred to the IPS service; sharing your personal success stories around achieving goals and employment to inspire others.

Support individuals to attend work related appointments/ interviews.

Help people consider disclosing a disability (or other personal information) to employers, again offering personal experience.

Co-facilitate wellness recovery action planning sessions.

Support Senior ES/ tutors and participants with delivering courses and group sessions.

Support employment specialists to engage individuals who have missed appointments.

Support individuals in using public transport.

Person specification

Education and Experience

• Good level of secondary education to GCSE level
• Completion of Peer Support Worker Training or commitment to complete within 3-6 months of employment
• Lived experience of a long-term health condition Or Lived experience of drug or alcohol addiction
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role
• Related Health or Social Care qualification
• Experience of working in the public sector
• Experience of accessing IPS services

Knowlege and Understanding

• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• Computer literate in software applications within the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook etc)
• Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional and appropriate manner
• Willingness to support people with a range of needs to meet their recovery goals
• Must be able to travel to a wide range of locations across the Trust
• Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners

Physical Requirements

• Emotional maturity/range of life experiences
• Flexibility and reliability
• Respectful and compassionate

Other

• Must be able to travel to a wide range of locations across the Trust
• Ability to transport/accompany peers to appointments

Here at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) we are dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion. We deliver many of the NHS services that are provided outside of hospital and in the community such as physical, mental health and specialist services.

We are a health and social care organisation, offering a wide range of services, including:

• Integrated physical and mental health services for adults and older people;
• Specialist mental health and learning disability services;
• Children’s community services in Peterborough;
• Ground-breaking research

We strongly encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people and members of our ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities. For further information about our positive equality, diversity and Inclusion work, please visit https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/equalityanddiversity .

CPFT is looking to build upon its pool of temporary workers with Temporary Staffing Services (TSS). You will be asked at interview if you would be willing to register with TSS. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to take on additional hours that are flexible around your personal circumstances.

Please be advised that in line with the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List, 2020 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust currently are unable to accept applications from overseas candidates whose country of residence is classed as a ‘Red List’ country.

Applicants who require entry into the UK will be required to provide a valid police certificate from the relevant authority from each country (except the UK) where the applicant has been present for 12 months or more, 10 years before the date of visa application, while aged 18 or over.

If you are successful at interview you will be subject to pre-employment checks, including a DBS (if appropriate), references and Occupational Health. To ensure a smooth process please bring all identity documents to your interview. A list of required identity documents will be attached to your interview invitation.

All communications will be sent to you via TRAC Systems. By applying for this post you are agreeing to CPFT transferring the information contained in this application to TRAC. If you are made an offer, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Michael Spinks Job title Team Leader / Senior Employment Specialist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07934 602960