Peer Support Worker

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Lewisham, Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 37,000; Part time

Job summary

A prominent NHS mental health service provider in England seeks a Peer Support Worker to use personal recovery experience to support users of the OASIS service. The successful candidate will join a compassionate team dedicated to promoting mental health recovery, offering valuable lived insight. This position includes tasks like facilitating support groups and assisting service users navigate health resources, providing an essential role in the community. The job is part-time, offering flexible working patterns.

Benefits

Access to professional development opportunities

Monthly peer mentoring

Weekly online group supervision

Qualifications

• Personal experience of mental health difficulties and recovery.
• Experience of using mental health services.
• Willingness to share life experiences with service users.

Responsibilities

• Use lived experience to inspire hope.
• Facilitate peer support groups.
• Record information clearly.
• Support service users to navigate mental health services.

Skills

Empathy

Compassion

Problem-solving

Understanding of mental health issues

Interpersonal skills

Education

GCSE or equivalent level in English and Maths

Peer Support Training

Experience of Recovery College courses

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Peer Support Worker

The closing date is 06 January 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Peer Support Worker (PSW) within OASIS (At Risk Mental State for Psychosis Service).

Peer Workers use their lived experience of mental health challenges and using services to inspire hope that change is possible. Peer Workers offer emotional support, promote social inclusion, share coping mechanisms, and support service users to navigate mental health services.

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, compassionate, positive thinking and self‑motivated individual with lived experience of mental health problems and recovery.

The successful candidate will have completed an accredited Peer Worker training course or be willing to complete training shortly after starting their role. They will be a member of a multidisciplinary team, working alongside a variety of mental health professionals.

Peer Support Workers are fully supported in their role through regular 1 to 1 supervision within the team line management structure. They will also have access to training opportunities to support their professional development. In addition, there will be access to monthly peer mentoring and weekly online group supervision.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will use their own lived experience of mental health difficulties and recovery to support OASIS service users and carers. They will contribute to service promotion projects, facilitate a peer support group. They may offer 1:1 support to service users and carers depending on experience. The postholder will work alongside a multidisciplinary mental health team.

About us

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide‑ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

To use lived experience to inspire hope that change is possible.

To share your own lived experience safely and effectively.

To share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery.

To work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths of the person.

To use evidence‑based recovery tools to support the service user.

To support the service user to understand the role of statutory mental health services and how they can support their recovery alongside other community resources.

To support the service user to communicate with involved mental health professionals and wider support network.

To record information in a clear and accessible way.

To promote service user involvement in all aspects of their work.

To ensure confidentiality and safe keeping of client records.

To be able to signpost to community and/or online resources and access appropriate mainstream and specialist resources.

To be aware of, teach others and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti‑discriminatory practice as appropriate.

To attend team meetings as appropriate.

With agreement of line manager, to promote the role of peer support both within SLAM and externally, through co‑delivery of presentations, workshops, and information sharing. In addition, to participate in Trust‑wide peer related projects and audits.

To take part in regular one‑to‑one supervision with senior staff.

To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual appraisal.

To complete mandatory training.

To take part in group supervision and mentoring for peer workers.

To work flexibly and travel between OASIS team bases and community venues as required.

Depending on experience, responsibilities may include:

To facilitate a peer support group for OASIS service users.

To work directly with an identified caseload of individuals via video/telephone call, text and in person face to face sessions.

To support service improvement by collecting feedback from service users and carers via PEDIC and relevant outcome measures.

To co‑design and co‑facilitate presentations and workshops alongside OASIS colleagues which promote the OASIS service and raise awareness of At‑Risk Mental States.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE or equivalent level/or evidence of competency specifically in English and Maths
• Peer Support Training (or willing to complete)
• Experience of Recovery College courses and relevant training
• Other evidence of relevant training

Experience

• Personal experience of mental health difficulties and recovery
• Experience of using mental health services
• Willing to positively share your own life experiences, with service users, carers, and colleagues
• Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties (paid or voluntary)
• Personal experience of Psychosis or 'unusual experiences' (experiences such as hearing voices, visual disturbances, or paranoid thoughts)
• Experience of using an At Risk Mental State for Psychosis Service or Early Intervention in Psychosis Service
• Experience of delivering peer support services
• An interest in developing a career in mental health care

Knowledge and Skills

• Able to demonstrate an understanding of the Values of Peer Support
• To be able to share lived experience in way that is safe and useful
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and patience
• Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service users
• Ability to demonstrate a good understanding of mental health issues
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery and boundaries
• To respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance, and unpredictability
• Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form relationships with service users, staff, friends, and families/carers
• Effective team player
• Excellent organisational skills
• Understanding and appreciation of issues affecting people from different backgrounds and cultures
• Good level of IT skills; Microsoft packages, videoconferencing, and email systems
• Willingness to use supervision for learning and self‑reflection
• Ability to speak other languages
• Awareness of complementary support services
• Basic knowledge of psychological and therapeutic interventions (CBT, DBT, MBT etc.)

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.

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Post based in Croydon (Queens Resource Centre) and Lewisham (59 Cordwell Road)

£33,094 to £36,195 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part‑time, Job share, Home or remote working

Reference number

334‑NUR‑7591880‑TA

Job locations

Post based in Croydon (Queens Resource Centre) and Lewisham (59 Cordwell Road)