Peer Supporter

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Whitehaven; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) invites applications for a Peer Supporter based in Whitehaven, Cumbria. This role forms part of the Hope Haven team, working with local partners to transform mental health care delivery using lived experience to empower others.

We seek individuals who can provide compassionate support, facilitate recovery planning, and contribute to a multi-agency approach across CNTW and partners in the West Cumbria area.

Qualifications

• Personal lived experience of recovery and/or supporting someone with mental health needs.
• Experience in a supportive role and ability to work with individuals with diverse needs.
• Ability to communicate recovery experiences in a professional manner.
• Confidence to assist people in developing recovery and wellness plans.

Responsibilities

• Offer a welcoming presence as part of the welcomer team and conduct initial and follow-up conversations.
• Collaborate with partner organisations to identify appropriate interventions.
• Liaise with senior leads to report progress of the Lived Experience team.
• Organise weekly workload including personal caseload and training sessions.
• Contribute to development and delivery of training for partners.
• Promote carer involvement and support the carer lead.
• Facilitate groups and 1:1 work using wellness plans and tools.
• Record progress confidentially on the unique recording system.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Team-working

Communication

Empathy & resilience

Sharing personal recovery story

Group facilitation

Plan and prioritise workload

Training delivery

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 opportunity has arisen in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's (CNTW) North Cumbria Locality. We are currently seeking a Peer Supporter to join our Hope Haven team based in Whitehaven, Cumbria. This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a new and transformative service working alongside local partners including Home Group, Everyturn, as well as local third sector organisations.

Our aim is to transform the way mental health care is provided locally, by bringing together specialist health, social care and community services in the heart of West Cumbria.

Lived experience roles are a vital part of our plan to continually improve the services that we provide. They help to support people during their journey through our services to establish greater control over their lives, decisions and build resilience during their care and treatment.

This role is aimed at people who have experience of using their own recovery journey to help others and now feel able to be part of a small, dedicated team of peer supporters and ensure lived experience is integrated into each part of Hope Haven

Main duties of the job

You will be expected to offer a different perspective and contribute to the role by:

• Offering a warm welcome to people using the service as part of our welcomer team by conducting initial and follow up consultations including Welcome Pad and use of NHS dialog + too
• Working alongside colleagues from partner organisations to identify the most appropriate interventions for people whom we work with.
• Liaising with senior leads to communicate progress within the Lived Experience team
• Organising weekly workload including personal caseload where peers will manage both appointments and walk-ins as well as other training sessions as part of development
• Contributing to the development and delivery of training to all partners
• Promoting carer involvement working alongside our carer lead and involvement team.
• Assisting with facilitation of groups as well as 1:1 work, using wellness plans and tools.
• Recording progress and concerns, working in a manner which ensures confidentiality and security on unique recording system.

Working for our organisation

This will be a challenging, but rewarding role, working with people presenting with a range of mental health issues and risks. The post holder must have the ability to communicate where there are barriers to understanding, and they must be able to work as part of a team. They must be confident in working and communicating with people and demonstrate strong recovery values in, inspiring hope and empowerment in others.

As an employee of CNTW, the wellbeing of all our staff is vitally important. The post holder will have several avenues of support but should also feel confident in their personal skills and abilities to draw upon their own resilience and strengths to sustain their wellbeing throughout this role.

As this is a community-based role, you must be able to work centrally from the hub and be able to travel across the Copeland area and other Trust sites across CNTW.

Due to the 24/7 nature of the project, unsocial working hours will be required.

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.

Advertising date : 21st August 2026

Closing date : 3rd September 2026

We welcome your application.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

Essential criteria

• Completion of a competency-based programme within probationary period OR equivalent demonstrable experience
• Knowledge of care related procedures, clinical observation, relevant legislation

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 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
• Ability to deliver aspects of a planned training event.

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.

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