Peer Support Worker

North London NHS Foundation Trust; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Camden Town is seeking a highly motivated peer support worker. This role involves supporting individuals in Eating Disorder Services, focusing on shared personal experiences to guide the recovery process. Responsibilities include providing peer support during meals, helping with community access, and assisting in care planning. Ideal for those with lived experiences related to eating disorders. The position promotes social inclusion and collaboration within a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of receiving care from Eating Disorder Services.
• Ability to share personal experiences to aid recovery.

Responsibilities

• Provide peer support during mealtimes.
• Support people to access groups and activities.
• Help establish a Wellness Recovery Action Plan.

Job description

Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with lived experience of receiving care from Eating Disorder Services to join our team as a peer support worker. You will be a valued member of the St Ann's Eating Disorder Service, working alongside a highly skilled multi-disciplinary team. You will be able to share relevant personal experiences and draw on insights and skills developed through your own recovery to come alongside people using services on a one-to-one and group basis to explore peoples own goals and personalised recovery. This role will have a particular focus on inpatient and outpatient settings and is anticipated to be a dynamic role with lots of variation.

This description outlines the core responsibilities and expected contribution of the role.

Responsibilities

• Providing peer support during mealtimes (including eating with the individual you are working alongside)
• Supporting people to access groups and activities in their local communities
• Focusing on transitions between inpatient and outpatient care
• Establishing a supportive and respectful relationship with service users
• Helping individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and setting recovery objectives, drawing on mutual peer resources and using recovery tools, techniques and experience
• Modeling personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness by sharing your recovery story to inspire service users
• Assisting service users in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) if used, and contributing to care planning processes
• Sharing and teaching coping, self-help and self-management techniques within the peer relationship
• Supporting service users to identify and overcome fears, and, in a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenging negative self-talk
• Facilitating access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities and take on socially valued roles
• Accompanying service users, if appropriate, to appointments or meetings of their choice and performing a range of practical tasks aligned to recovery goals
• Acting as a positive role model with professional and caring attitudes toward other multi-disciplinary team members, service users and carers

Organisational values

• Promote safe practices
• Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice
• Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change
• Value social inclusion
• Establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users