Part-time Male Peer Support Worker x 0.5 FTE Post

Mushkil Aasaan; City Of London; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A community support organization in London seeks Peer Support Workers to deliver tailored support for individuals facing emotional distress. The role emphasizes the use of lived experiences to foster understanding and provide assistance in recovery. Applicants should have strong communication skills and a commitment to supporting community mental health initiatives.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain professional working boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Using lived experience to deliver peer support.
• Conducting holistic wellbeing assessments and developing plans.
• Monitoring effectiveness of interventions and maintaining records.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Flexibility

IT skills

Risk management

Education

Personal lived experience of mental health challenges

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

As part of the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, SW London & St Georges Mental Health Trust is commissioning the Peer Support Service. Mushkil Aasaan is excited to be working collaboratively with partners such as Wandsworth Carers Network and Sound Minds in delivering the Service.

The aim of the Service is to support Service Users through Peer Support for early intervention, help avoid crisis or deterioration, but also as a step down from more intensive medical support to help reintegrate with the community. Referrals will be triaged by the Integrated Recovery Hub in Wandsworth

The aim of the service is that Peer Support Workers use their own lived experience of mental health difficulties to support other people. They will work collaboratively with people within their service, focusing on the persons strengths and personal resources and offer educational, emotional and practical support towards goals that are defined by the person.

Main duties of the job

In line with Mushkil Aasaans ethos of Care for the Community by the Community it is essential for these roles to transcend detailed knowledge and understanding of the diverse languages, cultures, faiths and values of the Community and the dynamics and stigma that contribute to mental ill health.

The Peer Support Workers at Mushkil Aasaan will play a pivotal role in delivering tailored support to individuals facing emotional distress whilst focusing on their strengths and personal resources, aligning with their recovery goals and overall well-being. Our approach emphasises the use of own lived experiences with mental health challenges, to foster understanding, empathy and hope.

About us

Mushkil Aasaan began in the early 1990s as a grassroots project driven by Muslim women's concerns for marginalized groups facing social exclusion and unmet needs. Originating from the breakdown of traditional family structures and urban migration, it evolved into a thriving Community Care Service. Committed to diversity and inclusivity, Mushkil Aasaan advocates for best practices and provides equitable services to all, regardless of background or identity.

Regulated by the Care Quality Commission it is a Specialist Provider of culturally- sensitive Domiciliary Care and End of Life. It also offers Crisis Intervention, Counselling and Family Mediation, Advocacy Services and Cost of Living Support, and Support Groups.

In promoting mental well‑being, we implement a unique model of holistic support, offering management of crises and emotional distress. It aims to explore, enhance, and promote the inner strengths and resources of the individual towards a greater well‑being, personal empowerment and focus.

Given its framework of reference to the diversity of cultures and languages it is well-placed in the heart of the Community in being a Wellbeing Hub. This offers a spectrum of shared activities and opportunities that enhance the overall wellbeing and sense of belonging in navigating Care for the Community by the Community.

Job responsibilities

PEER SUPPORT WORKER - Main Responsibilities

Using lived experience to deliver peer supportinterventions

Use their own lived experience of mental ill health and/oraccessing mental health services to provide both emotional and practicalsupport for service users.

Work from a person centred, strength-based approach thatresponds to what the individual feels will support their recovery

Delivery of short-term 1-1 Peer Support sessions with serviceusers focussed on talking through their emotional challenges, building copingmechanisms and working together to meet their wellbeing goals.

Delivery of short term, facilitated group peer support to allowservice users to develop their own peer support networks and find strategiestowards improve and manage their own condition

To be able to provide time-limited peer support that empowersservice users to build confidence and take ownership of their own recovery. Toavoid creating dependency by safely ending peer relationships in agreement withservice users.

Assessing needs/goals, developing peer plans and measuring/reportingoutcomes

To conduct a person-centred, holistic wellbeing assessment thatidentifies goals and develops a peer plan to support and sustain positivemental wellbeing, building on assessment and referral notes from clinicalteams.

To monitor the effectiveness of interventions offered throughthe routine use of outcome monitoring tools reviewed directly with ServiceUsers.

To maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all workdelivered on relevant data systems and to contribute to the monitoring andevaluation of our services

To provide qualitative and quantitative reports on serviceoutputs and service users' outcomes as per the contract requirement with SWLSTGand NHS England.

Connecting and encouraging links with community resources

Support Service Users in identifying how to manage their dailylives and offering key resources to support their wellbeing.

Provide help to navigate the health and wellbeing system andthrough person-centred approaches connect into community resources to reduceisolation and improve wellbeing.

Supporting access to local services to promote communityinclusion, connection, enable sustainable recovery and increase awareness ofsupport available in the wider community.

Offer practical support to help people access the right servicesand support based on needs, preferences and the options available.

Partnership work and collaborations with clinical teams

Work as part of the wider Peer Support team, liaising with thePeer Support Coordinators, Community Mental Health Team, managing new referralsand working in partnership with Peer Support colleagues in partneragencies.

To attend clinical team meetings such as Daily IntegratedAllocation Meeting and Multidisciplinary Teams when appropriateto promote peer support service and discuss case allocation.

To attend regular line management supervision, peer catch upsand reflective spaces and to attend other team meetings as appropriateincluding occasional meetings/ training days

Service user participation and safeguarding

To maintain high levels of safeguarding awareness and to respondto risk and safeguarding issues as they arise whilst respecting the ServiceUsers autonomy wherever possible.

To ensure Service Users voices are always central to servicedevelopments and contributing to Service Users participation and engagementactivities in the Charity

Other service and organisational duties/needs

Undertaking direct promotion and publicity of the Charitysservices to Service Users, communities and professionals

To actively implement and adhere to the Charitys policies andprocedures, including equalities, inclusion and diversity, safeguarding, GDPR,Health & Safety & Service User engagement policies.

To confidently use Microsoft tools including Teams, Excel, Word,Power Point and Access, as well as other operational programmes that supportthe development and promotion of the service.

Thislist isn't exhaustive, and the post holder might be required to support othertasks in the interest of the project and the organisation

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Skills and Attitudes
• Ability to work consistently with high levels of empathy, warmth and unconditional positive regard
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with Service Users, their families, carers, community groups, and partner agencies
• Ability to help clients identify recovery goals and support needs, as well as identifying other people and services that might help achieve these goals
• Flexible attitude including a willingness and ability to offer a range of mental health support and to contribute to new initiatives and ways of working
• IT skills to manage record-keeping systems and facilitate monitoring and reporting procedures to meet contractual requirements.
• Ability to maintain professional working boundaries whilst offering flexible, compassionate support to clients
• Ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team in a busy and varied role
• Able to undertake regular travel within Wandsworth, work remotely or make home visits where appropriate with colleagues from SWLStG
• Ability to promote mutuality and reciprocity, as well as identify and address dependency
• Ability to build safe, trusting relationships with individuals based on non-judgmental listening and shared lived experience
• Willingness to undertake training as necessary and as part of professional development, including Peer Support Worker training
• Willingness to regularly attend peer support reflective space meetings and one-on-one catch-up sessions with the peer support coordinator
• Skills and Attitudes
• Ability to identify, assess and manage risk when working with individuals (D)
• Commitment to working collaboratively, linking with other community resources, including the Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Project (EMHIP) (D)

Experience

• Able to draw on personal lived experience of mental health challenges, using mental health services and working on personal recovery journey
• Experience of providing 1-2-1 support (social, emotional or practical) to people living with a mental health condition either professionally or personally
• Ability to actively engage with a wide range of Service Users and understanding of the issues people with mental health issues face in their lives
• Knowledge and understanding of a strength-based approach and ability to use lived experience to role model hope and to support peoples recovery
• Understanding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and commitment to providing an inclusive, culturally sensitive service (E)
• Understanding of confidentiality and how these apply when handling service user information
• Understanding of legislation and policies related to the role, including the Care Act, Equality Act and the Mental Capacity Act
• Experience in facilitating group work and delivering psycho-educational material (D)
• Knowledge of mental health conditions, and the services and systems that support people experiencing mental ill health (D)
• Experience in recording data and case notes and experience in using a record management system (D)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.