Peer Support Worker

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Peer Support Worker for its Adult Autism Service. The role involves using personal experience to support individuals with autism, alongside a clinical team. Candidates should have an understanding of autism, relevant qualifications like GCSE and NVQ level 2, and knowledge of local community support. This position offers a supportive environment along with opportunities for flexible working arrangements and a commitment to employee wellbeing.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Employee assistance programme

Proactive health and wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Lived experience of autism and using health services for support.
• Prior experience in peer support roles is desirable.
• Knowledge of local community support organisations.

Responsibilities

• Provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users.
• Foster a safe and therapeutic environment for service users.

Skills

Understanding of autism and neurodiversity

Ability to recognise stress in oneself and others

IT Knowledge

Education

Educated to GCSE or equivalent level

NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy

Job description

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

Do you have experience of using mental health services and feel that you could use your recovery to inspire and promote hope to others? At NELFT, we have the perfect opportunity for you.

We are looking for a Peer Support Worker to join our Adult Autism Service Barking and Dagenham and provide invaluable support to individuals with suspected or diagnosed autism.

Drawing on your lived experience of autism, you will work alongside the clinical multidisciplinary team to foster a safe and therapeutic environment where service users feel heard, understood, and supported.

Main duties of the job

The role will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users in order for them to regain control over their lives and their own unique development process. Within a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, they will promote choice, self‑determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of personally valued roles and connection to local communities.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co‑produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are :

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us tostrive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High‑Cost Area Supplement

This post also attracts payment for High‑Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,714 and a maximum payment of £5,941) pro rata for part time staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system.

When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High‑Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Understanding of autism and neurodiversity
• Lived experience of autism and having using health services for support / treatment.

Desirable criteria

• Prior experience, paid or unpaid, in peer support roles.
• Some experience of working in mental health setting

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to GCSE or equivalent level
• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy

Desirable criteria

• Completed Peer Support Training

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• IT Knowledge
• Demonstrate an awareness how your own approach and communication style may impact on service users, their carers and members of your own team.
• Ability to recognise stress in oneself and others and manage appropriately accessing additional support where necessary.

Desirable criteria

• Have worked as a Peer Support Worker before
• Knowledge of local comunity support organisations

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT :

• A long-standing and award‑winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term / chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.