Lived Experience Support Worker

As an integral and highly valued team member, the Peer Support Worker will provide peer support and practical assistance to service users to support them in regaining control over their lives and their own unique recovery journey. Through sharing the wisdom of their own lived experience of recovery, the Peer Support Worker will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. Within a relationship of mutuality, they facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities. All staff should comply with the Trust's Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.Main duties of the job To support people who are experiencing mental health challenges to: Maintain and develop their independence. Build life skills, confidence, resilience and self-esteem. Build social networks and reduce isolation. Engage in peer support sessions and offer holistic support, advice, information, and if necessary, onward referral to other support. Find opportunities for them to direct their own recovery through self-management and choice. Access to services and support. Encourage positive choice-making. Work with the service user and, where appropriate, their carers/another meaningful person in developing their own personalised care plan., You will use your personal recovery with individuals using the service in 1:1 or group support. You will

• Model and mentor recovery and demonstrate coping skills.
• Embed a person-centred and recovery-orientated approach in all aspects of the work.
• Inspire hope and share life experiences and lessons learnt.
• Be trauma-informed
• To contribute to peer support activities, including 1:1 and groups;
• To ensure that the safety and wellbeing of each person using the service is monitored and reviewed regularly.
• To contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation, and review of support.
• To report any untoward incidents or unusual occurrences to the line manager.
• To report any safeguarding concerns to the line manager.
• To attend the appropriate team meetings
• To attend both managerial and lived experience supervision.
• To attend reflective/consultation with team members.
  
  Good educational qualifications up to GCSE standard or equivalent
• Educated to NVQ Level 4 or Equivalent Qualification, Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental health challenges
• Paid or unpaid peer support worker experience
• Willing to positively share your own life experiences, and personal experience of mental ill health challenges with people and carers using the service, Developed personal plans for managing own recovery
• An ability to be non-judgemental
• Ability to support someone in their recovery and not to 'rescue'
• Sensitive understanding of diversity issues and an ability to promote anti-discriminatory practice/ equal opportunities
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience
• Able to tell your story succinctly and in a meaningful way.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission
Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout: Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional. About us - Hertfordshire NHS Partnership Trust Heard. Respected. Included. Together, we help people with mental ill-health, learning disabilities and autism to live life to the fullest. We work throughout Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk..., Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional