Senior Peer Support Worker

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Ilford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Eastern London is seeking a Senior Peer Support Worker for a 12-month fixed-term role. The position requires individuals with lived experience of psychosis and the ability to deliver peer support interventions. Responsibilities include providing support to individuals affected by stigma and mental health issues. The ideal candidate will have relevant experience in peer support and a commitment to the principles of recovery. This role offers part-time and flexible working options, emphasizing peer support values and community involvement.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of working as a Peer Support Worker in a relevant setting.
• Own personal lived experience of mental health.
• Ability to demonstrate awareness of local services and community organizations.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the peer‑delivered intervention Let’s Talk.
• Support people with psychosis experiencing internalised stigma.
• Work independently and autonomously handling a diverse caseload.

Skills

Understanding of mental health issues

Interpersonal skills

Ability to speak other languages

IT skills

Education

NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard

NVQ3 in health and social care

Job description

Senior Peer Support Worker

Go back NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

The closing date is 29 December 2025

Senior Peer Support Worker (BAND 4; 1.6 WTE; Fixed Term: 1 year in first instance)

Stigma and discrimination can have a serious impact on the wellbeing of people who experience psychosis and can impact personal recovery. Peer‑delivered interventions that are designed to support people with psychosis who have been personally impacted by stigma show promise, but to date most trials have been small and have focused on feasibility rather than efficacy of the peer interventions.

Following the success of our NIHR funded feasibility trial, Let’s Talk 1, the Let’s Talk 2 Trial has now been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through the Efficacy and Mechanisms Evaluation (EME) programme.

The Let’s Talk 2 trial is a 32‑month randomised controlled trial, jointly led by Professor Tony Morrison and Dr Melissa Pyle at the Psychosis Research Unit, Let’s Talk 2 builds on the success of Let’s Talk 1 and our track record of collaborative research on psychosocial interventions for people with experience of psychosis by evaluating the possible benefits of a peer‑delivered intervention called Let’s Talk which aims to aid mental health disclosure decision making.

We will compare the Let’s Talk peer‑delivered intervention to standard care from Early Intervention in Psychosis Services and Community Mental Health Teams. We will conduct this research across four areas in the UK (Avon and Wiltshire, Greater Manchester, North East London and South London).

Main duties of the job

NELFT’s Research and Development Department is seeking to appoint 2 peer support workers (PSWs) to work on the Let’s Talk 2 Trial. The Let’s Talk PSWs will be primarily responsible for delivering the peer‑delivered intervention Let’s Talk. The Let’s Talk intervention is a semi‑structured approach to supporting people with psychosis who are experiencing internalised stigma and who report concerns about talking about their psychosis experiences or concealing their experiences because of stigma. It is an approach that is underpinned by the principles of Peer Support. The PSWs will work together with service users across the footprint of the Trust. The posts will be for a fixed term of 12 months initially.

You will have lived experience of psychosis and experience of working in a relevant peer support role. You will be able to work in an independent and autonomous fashion handling a diverse caseload. You will uphold peer values of supporting and promoting recovery as a user led concept, emphasise hope and optimism, value learning through lived experience and focus on strengths rather than deficits.

Supervision is provided for all duties from Dr Lisa Wood, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & site lead for Let’s Talk 2 in NELFT.

As the post will involve travel within the North East London area.

For further information, please contact Dr Lisa Wood.

Person Specification

Education

• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
• A willingness to undertake further training and/or qualifications.
• NVQ3 in health and social care or equivalent experience.
• Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training.

Experience

• Significant experience of working as a Peer Support Working in a relevant setting.
• Own personal lived experience of mental health.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of mental health issues.
• Awareness of local services and community organisations.
• Knowledge of benefits/employment systems.
• Ability to speak other languages.
• Experience of delivering training.

Knowledge and Skills

• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
• A sound knowledge of good practice in Peer Support Work
• Ability to use Email, Word processing packages.
• Demonstrate knowledge of personal Recovery
• Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to appreciate / understand other people's worlds.
• Commitment to Trust Equality and Diversity policies and Trust values.
• Cultural awareness including awareness of the potential impact of discrimination & disadvantage on mental health.
• Ability to recognise and appropriately challenge stigma and discrimination.
• Willingness to take initiative and speaking Truth to Power.
• Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust.
• To demonstrate broad understanding of the principles of recovery.
• Able to demonstrate understanding of Intentional Peer Support.
• To demonstrate a knowledge of conducting audits, survey's and consultations.
• Ability to co‑produce new information resources to promote emerging projects.

Other

• To be aware and demonstrate the Trust Values
• To be able to travel effectively throughout the Trust

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.

Address

Goodmayes Hospital, Research & Development

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working

Reference number

395‑CC263‑25‑A

Job locations

Goodmayes Hospital, Research & Development