Peer Support Co-ordinator

Job overview

We are seeking and experienced and enthusiastic Peer Support Coordinator. You will be based within the Recovery and Support Teams in the London Borough of Merton which are multidisciplinary teams providing support and treatment to adults experiencing severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

You will be responsible for the day to day functioning of these peer support services, working towards supporting these roles to develop or expand competencies within the peer support competency framework, as well as supporting integration within the teams they work in.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will contribute their lived experience knowledge and expertise in supporting the organisation to develop and embed peer-led recovery-focused services.

They will be responsible for overseeing the day to day running of peer support services within a specified borough within the community service line across the Trust to our service users and carers through elements of their recovery journey.

They will develop and maintain partnerships, in a specified borough, with agencies and organisations that provide peer support to the people we work with.

They will provide a management and supervision function to people employed by partner organisations in lived experience roles.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide recovery-oriented input to those in lived experience roles in relation to supervision, urgent care issues and referrals.
• To process referrals by communicating with referrers, VCSE partners and service users and carers (when needed) to obtain information and explain the service offer.
• To hold a case load of clients and provide one-to-one peer support whilst they wait to access other forms of support, if demand requires.
• In collaboration with peer support workers in VCSE organisations, and/or service users and carers, promote plans of support to optimise recovery and health and wellbeing
• To identify risk issues related to new or existing service users (via new referrals and supervision) and take action to promote safe and effective working including escalating any concerns when necessary
• To ensure clinical teams refer appropriate clients who are well aware of peer support and consent being supported by a peer support worker in a VCSE partner organisations.
• To assist people in lived experience roles to reflect on how to provide, create and deliver a range of peer support activities and care planning to their clients in the most effective way.
• To assist VCSE organisations in planning and delivering actions that might improve referral rates when needed.
• To assist VCSE organisations in recruiting to their peer support and lived experience roles, and ensuring actions are taken to maintain optimum levels of retention.
• To provide direct support to people in lived experience roles by attending joint visits for those service users with more complex issues.
• To ensure that policies and procedures reflect lived experience roles and practice and are relevant and understood by people in lived experience roles
• To work directly with teams, services and other organisations in order to help them integrate peer support into their service where needed, and ensure and optimal representation of lived experience roles in daily allocation meetings.
• To work alongside and support those in peer support roles to help them achieve the competencies identified within the national Peer Support Competency framework