Peer Support Worker

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Worthing; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 22,000; Part time

Job summary

A dedicated mental health organization in Worthing is seeking a Peer Support Worker to join their Early Intervention in Psychosis Team. This role focuses on delivering recovery-oriented support to individuals experiencing their first episode of psychosis. You will empower service users to regain control through peer support, collaboration with multiple agencies, and personal lived experience. Ideal candidates will have relevant qualifications and experience working in a mental health environment. The role offers part-time hours within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Experience working with people with Psychosis or complex mental health needs.
• Lived experience of Psychosis and mental health difficulties.
• Experience being supervised and working as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Support individuals and groups using a Peer approach.
• Promote recovery by sharing personal recovery stories.
• Assist service users in identifying strengths and triggers for relapse.

Skills

Empathy

Active listening

Recovery-focused interventions

Education

Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3

Recognized qualification in a related area

Job description

Location: WorthingJob Type: PermanentWorking pattern: 22.5 hours per week, part timePay Scheme: Agenda for changePay Band: 3 (£20,330 - £21,777 pro rata)Staff Group: Specialty/Function: Peer Support Worker (PSW)

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Worthing Early Intervention in Psychosis Team (part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust), a community based service for people aged 14-65 who are experiencing their first episode of psychosis. As part of our ambition to deliver outstanding care we are looking to recruit a Peer Support Worker.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an expert by experience that has lived experience of psychosis, to support the delivery of recovery focused interventions in our Early Intervention Team. As an integral and highly valued member of our multi-disciplinary team, the Peer Support Worker will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users, empowering them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery process.Working collaboratively alongside service users, the Peer Support Worker builds on a person's ability, strengths and their links to social and community services. In the role you will work in partnership with multiple agencies in the community. Peer Support Workers engage with mental health service users to show empathy, share experience, inspire hope and promote recovery with the aim of assisting service users to gain and maintain independence in the community. The Peer Support Worker will assist service users in raising aspirations and developing personal goals, co-produce and co-facilitate groups and increasing individual occupational performance and participation.

About us

This small, friendly, multi-disciplinary team is based at Arun House in Worthing town centre, due to move into the Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC) in April 2025. The service offers support and treatment to people aged 14 - 65 who have experienced either a first episode of psychosis or present with an At Risk Mental State. Practitioners in the team are passionate about their work, and are committed to supporting families and working in a psychologically informed way.

The AAW EIP team is one of 6 Early Intervention in Psychosis teams provided by the Trust. The teams have a single service-wide governance group which oversees and leads on the delivery of care. Organizationally, the teams sit within the Trust's Children and Young People's Services division.

You will be provided with individual clinical supervision, group supervision for family interventions and opportunities to link with other Peer Support Workers both within EIP and other services for peer support and development.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability services in and across Sussex. The Trust has teaching status and is developing into one of the country's leading teaching mental health trusts. Working here offers continued training and development, variety, plus all the benefits of living in Sussex. We welcome informal visits and or a phone conversation about the service and this post.

Job responsibilities

• To support individuals and groups using a Peer approach
• To be a positive role model for other people overcoming mental health challenges, other workers and members of the public
• To use parts of your recovery story to inspire hope in others where appropriate
• To use appropriate skills in engaging with individuals with mental health challenges, eg asking open-ended questions, validating strengths and experiences and using empowering language to overcome negative self-talk
• To support and enable individuals with mental health challenges to resolve conflicts and regain control, responsibility, hope and enjoyment based on the principles of peer supported recovery such as sharing your personal recovery story
• To support service users in identifying both strengths and early signs of relapse. To support service users in identifying possible triggers or causes of relapse
• To provide support to individuals in gaining choice, developing and managing meaning and purpose of life and independence, and maintaining dignity and self respect
• To support individuals in meeting holistic needs (education, welfare, employment, financial, leisure, housing, spiritual, etc) in partnership with other individuals, care team and agencies and within a recovery environment
• To promote and make service users aware of personal strengths and social networks, and highlight their ability to engage with these
• To deliver educational training to service users (as appropriate)
• To engage actively in peer and professional supervision and apply the learning to working with clients of the service
• To support access and facilitation of activity sessions both on a one-to-one and group basis for service users
• To ensure all service users are aware of activities which may be of benefit to them and how these can be accessed
• To undertake any other such duties as may reasonably fall within the remit of the post, as required by the Manager/Supervisor

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS

• A recognised qualification in an area related to the workplace or equivalent technical/life skills
• Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
• Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working with people with Psychosis/Complex mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity
• Experience working as part of a team
• Experience of being supervised
• Lived experience of Psychosis and mental health issues/difficulties
• Managing personal mental health and recovery
• Knowledge of Peer Support, Recovery and Wellbeing in mental health and ability to apply this throughout your work

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.