Peer Support Worker

The Adult Mental Health services specialise in the assessment and treatment of service users with mental health conditions, serving the community of Kent and Medway. There are three wards that are covered by our team; two for female and one for male patients (18 beds each). Have you experienced mental health problems and used mental health services? Could you use your recovery to inspire hope and support others? At KMPT we believe that people who have experienced, and who are living well with mental health problems, can be the most knowledgeable, skilled and inspirational supporters of others on the recovery journey. As a Peer Support Practitioner, you will use your own experience of recovering from mental health issues to encourage, inspire and inform others, supporting them in their own journey of recovery, and acting as a role model. In this way, you can enable our service users to live as independently as possible and make the most of their potential. You will receive induction, training and on-going supervision, including a network of other peer support workers employed within KMPT. Working days will be flexible depending on the needs of the service users and may include weekday and weekend working., The role of Peer Support Practitioner will involve:

• Building strong, supportive relationships with our Service Users
• Helping Service Users to set realistic and positive goals and empowering them to live fuller, more fulfilling lives
• Supporting the group programme on offer by sharing your own experiences
• Developing the service, and helping its users to get involved in this process
• Completing a range of administrative tasks
• Liaising widely with other staff and services within the community
• Promoting awareness of mental health and reducing stigma
  
  A background of personally recovering from mental health issues
• Experience of using mental health services
• An understanding of factors which can affect recovery in mental health
• IT literacy including Microsoft Office and Internet or a willingness to learn
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to work well in a team
• Empathy, good listening skills, and common sense
• You will need to be able to know when to ask for help
The post will also involve contributing to the development of the Peer Support Practitioner role, particularly within mental health services.

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life. We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county. The Trust (rated Good overall by the CQC and Outstanding for care) has 3,283 staff working in 66 buildings across 33 locations, covering an area of 1,450 square miles. You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones. The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard for everyone in KMPT.