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Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
About
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is one of the largest trusts in the UK, caring for people with a wide range of physical and mental health needs. We have approximately 7,000 staff who provide healthcare to a third of London's population and across wider geographical areas, including Milton Keynes, Kent, Surrey and Hampshire.
As a Foundation Trust we involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run and our future development. If you are interested in becoming a member of our Foundation Trust please visit: www.cnwl.nhs.uk
(source: Central and North West London NHS Foundation NHS Trust website)
Peer Support Worker
Closed for applications on: 29-Apr-2025 00:00
Vacancy status: Closed
Closed for applications on: 29-Apr-2025 00:00
Key details
Location
- Site
- Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit
- Address
- Park Royal Centre for Mental Health
- Town
- Acton Lane London
- Postcode
- NW10 7FL
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
Salary
- Salary
- £31,081 - £33,665 p.a (pro rata P/T) inc HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (NHS AfC: Band 4)
Specialty
- Main area
- Lived Experience
CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.
Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.
We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.
We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page
Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.
CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.
Job overview
The role of Perinatal Peer Support Worker (Perinatal PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges. In the context of CNWL’s Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, postholders will have experienced recovery from perinatal mental health challenges and have utilised a Mother and Baby Unit as part of their journey to recovery.
Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Perinatal Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Advert
Coombe Wood is a highly regarded specialist perinatal service providing inpatient support for pregnant (from 32 weeks) & postnatal women experiencing mental health /emotional difficulties. Coombe Wood work closely and collaboratively with community specialist mental health teams, maternity, health visitors and social services
Using your own lived experience as an inpatient on a Mother and Baby Unit in their Perinatal Period, recovery principles and socially inclusive practice. The post-holder will support service users in their personal recovery journeys. This means providing peer support for mum's who experience similar mental health and social needs during the perinatal period. They will foster a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, to promote choice, self-determination, opportunities and hope.
Working for our organisation
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Central and North West London NHS Trust expects all Peer Support Workers to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members.
As a Peer Support Worker we expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others better
We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people’s differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic.
We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs.
We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
They will raise awareness about Trust and local resources and opportunities that may assist people in maintaining their recovery. They will encourage and support service users to use resources provided whilst on the unit, as well as community and children’s resources that are available to them, and support the Mother and Baby Unit with developing links with these resources. They will act as an advocate for recovery within the team and an ambassador for recovery for the Trust and with partner agencies.
The post-holder will be required to work as part of a multidisciplinary team in inpatient settings with some shift work hours outside of 9am – 5pm, to best support mothers on the unit.
The role of Perinatal Peer Support Worker (Perinatal PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges. In the context of CNWL’s Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, postholder's will have experienced recovery from perinatal mental health challenges and utilised the support of a Mother and Baby Unit in relation to this. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Perinatal Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Through sharing the wisdom of own lived experience, the Perinatal Peer Support Worker will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others, taking a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work, alongside other Trust recovery champions
Applicant requirements
Person specification
other
Essential criteria
- A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate
- Evidenced lived inpatient experience on a Mother and Baby Unit
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training, (including accredited peer support worker training if not previously undertaken)
- Willingness to undertake or completion of Level 4 LSBU accredited course “Developing Expertise in Peer Support” course.
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable criteria
- Completed peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
- Evidence of further training in relation to personal recovery principles
- Accredited certificate in Life Coaching
Experience
Essential criteria
- Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery from perinatal mental health challenges
- Experience of having personally accessed Perinatal Mental Health Services similar to the service they are applying to work in
- Experience of working with people with mental health problems and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
- Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey with service users, carers and others
- Experience of working both independently as well as providing group and 1:1 activities
- Recent experience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker
- Delivery of Recovery College courses
Skills, Knowledge, Ability
Essential criteria
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery principles and values
- Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
- Effective listening skills
- Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
- Ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
- Ability to see solutions rather than problems
- Good marketing and presentation skills
- Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower others
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications
- Ability to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently with guidance
- Excellent planning, self-management and organisational skills
- Effective team player skills
- Ability to challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and discriminatory practice in an effective manner
- Ability to demonstrate practical skills to provide support with daily living activities
- Emotional intelligence and reflectivity with ability to work effectively with others to bring about change in a complex and dynamic organisation
- An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications.
Desirable criteria
- Working knowledge of the principles of coproduction
- Interviewing skills
- Knowledge of mental health policies and legislation that may contribute to support for service users
Numeracy and Literacy
Essential criteria
- High level of written literacy and numeracy
- IT skills including word and power point
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Niamh Memery
- Job title
- Matron
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0203 838 7743
No longer accepting applications
Sorry, this vacancy is no longer accepting applications.
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