Peer Supporter

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Blyth; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) is seeking a Peer Support Worker for the HOPE team across Northumberland and North Tyneside. You will use your lived experience to support adults, build trust, and help carers navigate care pathways.

In this role you will co-facilitate groups, provide individual support, and collaborate with clinicians while travelling across the county. This position offers development within a generous NHS environment.

Qualifications

• Personal lived experience of secondary mental health services.
• Experience supporting others with mental health recovery.
• Commitment to CNTW Peer Supporter Programme.

Responsibilities

• Use lived experience to build mutual connections with carers.
• Co-facilitate therapeutic groups for service users.
• Work 1:1 with service users to provide support and advice.
• Manage workload and travel across Northumberland and North Tyneside.

Skills

Lived experience

Group facilitation

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Secondary education

Job description

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, 'I've seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.' We're on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we've got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there's lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We're always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen in our Helping Overcome Personal and Emotional Difficulties (H.O.P.E.) team works across Northumberland and North Tyneside to support people aged 18 and over who experience difficulties related to trauma and/or managing strong emotions and relationships. This may include problems with:

• Feeling overwhelmed by intense emotions
• Managing urges to act quickly
• Forming and maintaining healthy relationships
• Distressing memories about difficult life events
• Other trauma related experiences, for example dissociation

A key feature of the post will be the person's unique lived experience of mental health services and their recovery (and / or of supporting someone in a caring capacity with (a) mental health condition(s), neurodiversity or learning disability), and how the wisdom that comes with this can support others on their personal journey.

The majority of the post holder's time will be devoted to having direct contact with service users,

This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a Clinical Team, utilising your personal experience to provide support, validation and, creating an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of carers and families.

The role focuses on creating trusting relationships whilst supporting carers to manage the challenges and changes that a caring role can bring throughout treatment.

Main duties of the job

Use your lived experience thoughtfully, sharing relevant stories that can create a shared understanding between carers to help build a mutual connection.

Co facilitate and develop therapeutic groups for service users and create a safe space for sharing experiences.

Working 1:1 with service users to offer appropriate individualised support and advice

Managing and prioritising your workload independently.

Have the ability to:

Communicate through a range of different methods including face to face, telephone, email, and in group settings.

Work collaboratively as part of a team as well as individually.

Have a good level of self-awareness

Ability to manage and maintain professional boundaries

This service covers a wide area across Northumberland and North Tyneside and this role will involve travelling across the county.

Have an ability to use trust IT systems for recording patient or carer contacts. The use of online diaries and Microsoft teams to communicate with colleagues and join online meetings.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description and role descriptor for full details.

We will arrange a group assessment day where we can meet potential applicants in person and potential applicants can come along to find out more about the post and decide whether this post is right for them. Dates to be confirmed.

Advertising date : 4th September 2026

Closing date : 18th September 2026

Person specification

Education and Qualification

Essential criteria

• Good level of secondary education
• Commitment to complete the CNTW Peer Supporter Educational Programme

Desirable criteria

• Completion of Peer Support Specialist Training or other similar peer support training
• Completion of Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training
• Completion of WRAP Educator training

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Understanding of personal values and beliefs
• Good interpersonal and team-working skills
• Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional manner
• Confidence in own skills and ability to draw upon own resilience and strengths to sustain own wellbeing Ability to assist people to develop recovery and wellness plans
• Ability to facilitate groups Ability to deliver aspects of a planned training event.
• Ability and willingness to reflect on work practice and be open to constructive feedback
• Ability to work in an enabling and creative way
• Ability draw on own resilience while working with challenging situations.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workload
• Ability to undertakebreakaway skills

Desirable criteria

• Experience of WRAP or other recovery / person-centred planning tools
• Knowledge of how the mental health and other health and social care systems operate
• Understanding of issues affecting mental health and well-being

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Personal lived experience of secondary mental health services and own recovery journey and / or personal lived experience of supporting someone with mental health / neurodiversity / learning disability
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role

Desirable criteria

• Experience of a person-centred approach
• Experience of working in the mental health field
• Knowledge of trauma informed practice
• Knowledge of strength's based and person-led practice

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria

• Ability to meet the mobility requirements of the post

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.