Peer Support Worker

Job overview

ELFT are excited to be advertising for a Peer Support Worker with lived experience of ‘complex emotional needs’ (often diagnosed as ‘personality disorder’) to join the countywide Bedfordshire and Luton Complex Needs Service. Our service aims to work with service users, colleagues, and carers to establish a learning culture that improves the care and treatment for people with complex emotional needs and their families/carers in the community. The successful applicant will use their lived experience of ‘complex emotional needs’ and local services to demonstrate that recovery is achievable. They will share their story of recovery in a way that conveys a sense of connection, hope and optimism to those who are earlier on in their journeys or experiencing challenging times, and will provide time-limited support to enable service users to progress towards their own recovery goals. The successful applicant will be well supported by colleagues in the Complex Needs Service and the Peer Support Lead. This post will be based at Mountbatten House, Dunstable and the post-holder will be required to travel to CMHT bases, inpatient units and other sites across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton.

*Please note: It is important that your application evidences your lived experience of complex emotional needs associated with a diagnosis of 'personality disorder' and your recovery journey.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work collaboratively as a member of a countywide multi-disciplinary specialist service for people who have difficulties described as ‘complex emotional needs’ to:

• Validate experiences by developing reciprocal relationships based on mutuality;
• Increase optimism, hope, motivation and opportunity for change and/or recovery;
• Provide emotional support during a crisis and as people transition between different parts of the system (e.g. from acute crisis, inpatient stays, to community care);
• Share information to enable identification and effective management of risks;
• Advocate for service users when treatment decisions are being made;
• Offer time-limited support to service users to enable them to progress towards their goals, which may include spending time with them in the community and attending appointments;
• Share and role model personal use of skills and strategies;
• Share lived experiences with carers to support their learning and enable them to effectively support service users;
• Contribute to the professional and personal development of multi-disciplinary colleagues by bringing a lived experience perspective to clinical and team discussions;
• Contribute to clinical records to ensure effective communication between team members and other services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the full details of the responsibilties of this post please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.