Peer Support Worker

Citizens Advice Mid Mercia; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A community support organization in East Midlands is seeking a full-time Peer Support Worker to assist individuals facing mental health challenges. The role involves using personal lived experiences to provide emotional and practical support, enhancing confidence and self-management abilities. Ideal candidates will possess strong communication skills, time management capabilities, and an understanding of societal issues. The position offers a salary of £23,810 and hybrid working arrangements, included training, and full contract pay for maternity leave.

Benefits

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Training opportunities

5% pension contributions

Paid DBS application

Internal progression opportunities

3 months full pay for maternity

Qualifications

• Experience in a public-facing role is essential.
• Ability to support individuals experiencing mental health difficulties.
• Understanding of the implications of societal issues is required.

Responsibilities

• Support individuals as part of their recovery journey.
• Attend multi-disciplinary team meetings.
• Develop resources from lived experience perspective.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Public-facing role experience

Understanding societal issues

Job description

Do you have a passion for working in the heart of your local community and are driven by making a difference? Then Citizens Advice Mid Mercia is the organisation for you.

Our free and independent advice helps people solve problems in a confidential and impartial manner. Whatever the problem, we won’t turn people away. We make a difference. Our trusted brand and the quality of our research mean we make a real impact on behalf of the people who rely on us.

We are looking for a full-time Peer Support Worker to join our Derby Living Well Service.

The role will be to support, provide companionship and encouragement to people experiencing mental health difficulties. Using your own lived experience of mental health difficulties and recovery journey to connect with a person to offer emotional and practical support: giving them a sense of hope and supporting them to gain a sense of control over their lives. Support introductions and initial conversations to the service, providing peer support and engagement. Provide emotional and practical support to individuals on a 1:1 or group basis – building confidence and skills and grow their ability to self-manage their mental wellbeing. Support individuals to access appropriate community services or groups e.g. housing advice, debt support, education, etc.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has excellent communication skills
• Can manage own time effectively with a keen eye for detail
• Can complete tasks to the highest quality
• Can monitor and maintain own standards ensuring work is accurate
• Has worked in a public-facing role
• Is experienced in working with a diverse range of people and providing a welcoming environment for clients
• Has an understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision

Full training and support will be given to the successful candidate to enable them to carry out their role.

Responsibilities / Key Tasks:

• Work as part of the multi‑agency Team, receiving and sharing information within the team to safeguard individuals and support them.
• Attending huddles & multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDM’s)
• Work alongside Living Well / Derby Wellbeing team colleagues to support individuals as part of their Recovery journey.
• Using mental health lived experience to support service design, co-production, development and improvement ensuring quality is maintained throughout.
• Develop appropriate resources and materials for the service from a lived experience perspective.

What we offer in return:

• 28 days entitlement plus bank holidays pro‑rate
• Full advice training is offered to all members of staff regardless of role to Advice Quality Standard (AQS)
• Opportunities for further training and continuous professional development
• Internal progression opportunities
• Supportive environment
• Remote/flexible working opportunities, subject to management approval
• Paid DBS application, where applicable
• 5% pension contributions
• 3 month’s full contractual pay for maternity, upon meeting qualifying criteria

The essentials

• Salary: £23,810
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full‑time)
• Location: Hybrid Working – a few days per week from one of our offices, a few days from home depending on service needs
• Contract: fixed‑term until 30 November 2027 with possible extension.

Please visit our website to find the full Job Description and Person Specifications for this role and a helpful Candidate Guide on our recruitment process – https://www.citizensadvicemidmercia.org.uk/work-with-us

To apply – send your CV and cover letter, explaining why you would be suitable for this role, to [e-mail]

Thank you for your interest in our vacancy. The above role is advertised on a rolling recruitment basis. We reserve the right to close the advert once a suitable candidate has been appointed. If you do not hear back from us within 15 working days, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please do not be discouraged from applying for other positions within our organisation.

We are a Disability Confident Employer. Citizens Advice Mid Mercia are an accredited (Level 1) Disability Confident employer, and values diversity and promotes equality. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all backgrounds. We follow the social model of disability which believes that it is the barriers created by society which disable people. We will use reasonable adjustments wherever possible to remove those barriers.