Peer Supporter

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Kirkwhelpington; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is seeking a candidate to join its HOPE team in Northumberland/North Tyneside region. The post relies on lived experience to support adults with trauma-related difficulties, offering group and 1:1 help, and fostering recovery and well-being. Travel across the county is required; strong boundary skills are essential.

The role focuses on building trust, sharing recovery insights professionally, and supporting carers and families throughout treatment.

Qualifications

• 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
• Experience of WRAP or other recovery / person-centred planning tools
• Knowledge of mental health systems
• Personal lived experience of secondary mental health services and recovery journey

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Communicate through face to face, telephone, email, and in group settings.
• Work collaboratively as part of a team as well as individually.
• Maintain professional boundaries and self-awareness.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Team working

Sharing personal recovery story

Group facilitation

1:1 support

Professional boundaries

Communication across methods

Self-awareness

Trauma-informed practice

Recovery and wellness planning

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen inour 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: Communicatethrough a range of different methods including face to face, telephone, email, and in group settings. Workcollaborativelyas part of a teamas well as individually. Havea good levelof self-awareness Ability to manage andmaintainprofessional boundaries This service covers a wide area across Northumberland and North Tyneside and this rolewill involve travellingacross 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.

Key skills and experience required

• 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, 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, 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, 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, Ability to meet the mobility requirements of the post

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.

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.