Support Worker - Crisis Support Drop-In service

Integrated Care System; Swadlincote; On-site; GBP 5,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health charity is looking for a Support Worker for their Crisis Support Drop-In service. This role involves delivering essential non-clinical support to individuals facing mental health crises. You will assess needs, provide guidance, and ensure a safe environment for attendees, while also leading a small team. The position requires a compassionate and proactive approach, as well as flexibility to work across multiple locations.

Qualifications

• Ability to gather and interpret information, problem-solve, and make decisions.
• Experience working in a mental health service, providing support in community settings.
• Knowledge of relevant local services and an understanding of safeguarding principles.

Responsibilities

• Provide non-clinical mental health support and information to attendees.
• Assist in developing safety plans and supporting crisis prevention.
• Lead shift responsibilities and supervise team members when required.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Knowledge of Mental Health Conditions

De-escalation Techniques

Education

Good level of general education including English and Maths at GCSE grade C and above

Any mental health, housing, social care, health care, counselling, or psychology-related training or qualifications

Tools

CharityLog

Microsoft Programs

Job description

Support Worker - Crisis Support Drop-In service

Please note - CSDI Support Workersare employed on a flexible by location basis, so whilst you will have primary place of work, i.e. the Ripley, Swadlincote or BuxtonCrisis Support Drop-In Service, you may be required to travel to the other sites, and so the ability to travel to essential for this role. Our intention would befor staff to only work from other sites if absolutely necessary.

Crisis Support Drop-In servicesare friendly & supportive non-clinical crisis services for adults whoself-define as needing immediate help with their mental health or emotionalwellbeing. Located in Buxton, Ripley and Swadlincote, the services offerout-of-hours mental health help, support and signposting in a relaxed andcomfortable community environment.

Following training, theSupport Workers will be responsible for delivering the service to attendees whoarrive at the service in emotional distress or mental health crisis, includingassessing, monitoring and supporting those individuals on a one-to-one basisand via appropriate group work.

Main duties of the job

The Support Worker rolewill also require the post holder to alternate the role of designated ShiftLeader for that days on-shift team. In addition to normal shiftresponsibilities, this will include, for example, allocating responsibilitiesto the team over the course of the shift, liaising with on-call teams asnecessary, ensuring administration is completed, and leading a team wellbeingcheck-in at the end of each working shift.

About us

Derbyshire Mind is your local independent mental health charity. We provide a range of community mental health and wellbeing services designed to support people with mental health problems, improve mental health and wellbeing and to help promote better mental health and wellbeing for all throughout the population of Derby and Derbyshire

Job responsibilities

Main Duties andResponsibilities

The key responsibilities ofthe Support Worker are :-

1. To deliver the Crisis Support Drop-In service by providing person-centrednon-clinical mental health crisis support and information to attendees who mightotherwise had to attend Accident and Emergency for help. This will include providinga supportive and safe environment, supporting attendees to identify theirindividual needs, providing support with de-escalation, providing advice andinformation, and, in partnership with the attendees, agree flexible andrealistic crisis support and safety plans and encouraging positive stepstowards management of crisis and future crisis prevention.

2. To follow agreed service systems, processes and procedures.

3. To proactively recognise the indicators of deterioratingmental health and facilitate appropriate action, while liaising with relevantagencies e.g. 999, On-Call Teams, NHS Crisis Teams. CMHT, etc.

4. To signpost and refer attendees to local services,including Derbyshire Mind groups and services, so that they can support andimprove their mental health and hopefully not reach crisis point again.

5. To accurately record attendees discussions, individual andgroup observations on the relevant attendees notes on the database, followingthe guidance of GDPR. Ensuring that any issues are reported to the Team Leaderin a timely manner

6. To liaise with the Team Leader, Service Lead, or otherappropriate person to ensure the safety of attendees and team members asrequired.

7. To record and evaluate the impact of interventions using agreedfeedback and evaluation tools. This includes using the computer programCharityLog for case management.

8. To potentially organise taxi transport for attendees tofacilitate access to the service if they meet the criteria.

9. To support and encourage the Volunteer members of the team.

10. To initiate and maintain good channels of communication andinformation sharing with all members of the team.

11.To ensure the serviceremains operational by being punctual, flexible and working with colleagues tocover gaps in the rota caused by planned / unplanned absence ie annual leaveand sickness.

12.To work positively aspart of Derbyshire Minds partnership, and the wider multi-disciplinary and multi-agencycrisis alternatives teams.

13. To proactively contribute to the continuous improvement ofthe service by making positive suggestions, providing constructive feedback andassisting in the implementation of agreed new ways of working.

14. To contribute to the ongoing co-production of the serviceby supporting service users with Lived Experience to be involved in the design,review, and continuous improvement of the service.

15. To support the training of new Support Workers andVolunteers where deemed appropriate by the Team Leader, including providingshadowing opportunities.

16.To help ensure theservice is, and remains, accessible to all individuals and groups e.g. youngeradults, women with children, racialised communities, veterans and groups whomay have more difficulty in accessing mental health services.

17.To participate inresearch, audit and evaluation as required.

Supervision, training, meetings, andsupport

18. To undertake specific and specialised training provided byDerbyshire Mind and other nominated parties, in order to support the vulnerablecohort of attendees.

19. To attend and actively participate in regular one-to-onemeetings with line manager, team meetings, and clinical supervision.

20. To participate in Individual Performance Review andPersonal Development plans, and to undertake training and development asidentified within these discussions and as indicated by the requirements of thepost.

21. To be proactive in reviewing and evaluating own personalperformance and identifying areas for improvement and development.

General

29. Provide cover for other members of the wider Crisis Support Drop-Inservice team and potentially other Crisis Support Drop-In service teamsacross Derbyshire as necessary.

30. Participate in the assessment of risk and therebycontribute towards clinical governance as appropriate.

31. Maintain the confidentiality of information about attendeesand other services, in accordance with Derbyshire Minds policies andprocedures. GDPR etc

32. Keep up to date on all matters relating to DerbyshireMinds policies and procedures and adhere to these at all times.

33. Be familiar with matters relating to health and safetymanagement and work in accordance with Derbyshire Minds Health and Safetypolicy and procedures.

34. Derbyshire Mind is committed to Equal Opportunities for allpresent and potential members of staff and attendees. Therefore, it is expectedthat all employees and volunteers will understand, support, and apply thispolicy through their working practice, which requires all individuals to betreated with respect, dignity, courtesy, fairness and consideration.

35. Represent and be an advocate and role-model of DerbyshireMind.

Carry out any other dutiesas are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job, as requested by yourLine Manager and more senior members of staff.

This job description is notintended to be an exhaustive list of all duties. It may also be subject tojoint review from time to time between the post holder and Derbyshire Mind.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Good level of general education, including English and Maths at GCSE grade C and above.
• Any mental health, housing, social care, health care, counselling, or psychology related training or qualifications.

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

• Ability to gather and interpret information, problem-solve, make decisions and act.
• Knowledge of common mental health conditions and issues affecting adults with mental health issues.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to communicate with different range of cognitive abilities eg learning difficulties, age difference, language differences, non-verbal attendees.
• Ability to plan and manage and prioritise own workload in line with shift requirements.
• Understanding of working within safeguarding, data protection, confidentiality and equality frameworks.
• Good IT and technology skills in order to input attendees data onto the case management system, manage emails and documents using Microsoft programs.
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations.
• Knowledge of de-escalation techniques and resources.
• Ability to seek and acquire knowledge of local services available to attendees.
• An understanding of the principles, philosophy and practical applications of the Person-Centred Approach
• An understanding of the issues faced by individuals from minority groups
• Monitoring and evaluation skills

Personal Characteristics

• Compassionate, supportive and sensitive approach.
• Reliable, creative and flexible, with a can-do attitude.
• Values people and sees their potential, worth and strengths.
• Develops effective and trusting relationships, characterised by respect, being non-judgemental, and not making assumptions about the persons experiences and beliefs.
• Highly motivated and able to learn quickly, willing to seek advice appropriately and accept supervision and training as required.
• Emotionally resilient and has own self-care practices and methods.

Experience

• Experience of working in a mental health service or similar, in either a paid or voluntary capacity.
• Experience of providing compassionate wellbeing support to adults in a community or other setting.
• Experience of helping people experiencing emotional distress and low self esteem.
• Experience of working on your own initiative and as a member of a team.
• Experience of working with adults with mental health conditions, either in a residential or community setting.
• Experience of supporting individuals one-to-one, and via group work.
• Experience of working outside of normal office hours.
• Experience of leading a team or being a shift leader, including allocating roles and responsibilities to staff/volunteers.

Other

• The following are required of all roles with Derbyshire Mind. However, you do not need to address these in your application:
• 1.Understanding the need for confidentiality and where to set the boundaries for confidentiality.
• 2.Be a role model of best practice and promote professional boundaries.
• 3.Genuine interest in and commitment to Derbyshire Minds work and attendees population.
• 4.Strong commitment to equality and diversity.
• 5.Strong commitment to the involvement of people who use services, social inclusion, recovery and partnership working.
• 6.Strong commitment to the values and ethos of Derbyshire Mind.
• 7.Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational/service requirements.

Ability to Work Flexibly

• Access to a car to get to and from the Crisis Support Drop-In service venue (as will be working outside of Public Transport operating times).
• Willingness and ability to work flexibly in terms of working outside of normal office hours and supporting a service that needs to run all year round

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.

£5,564.70 a yearpro rata of £23,543.07 Full Time Equivalent