Peer Support Worker

Our Peer Support Workforce is expanding and we are looking to recruit STR Lived Experience Support Workers to work in Liaison and Diversion Reconnect Resettlement service. Our Lived Experience Support Workers will work across our Court and Reconnect services. A key responsibility isfacilitating community engagement by helping service users connect with community groups and networks, which promotes social inclusion and a positive identity. The role also involves advocating for service users' rights, accompanying them to appointments, welcoming them to a service, signposting advice and promoting autonomy and self-management. Additionally, the worker will contribute to fostering a recovery-oriented environment by working with multidisciplinary teams and using strengths-based, non-discriminatory language to support recovery-focused activities.

Do you have experience of the criminal justice system? Have you been in prison? Have you used substance misuse or other support services? Would you like to use your experience to help others? If you are willing to share your own experiences with others, can inspire hope and belief that recovery and rehabilitation is possible - empowering our service users to achieve their hopes and goals then why not apply for this exciting new role., Essential

• GCSE/NVQ 2 or equivalent in relevant subject
• Willingness to work toward attainment of NVQ 3 or equivalent in relevant subject
Desirable
• Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the RPSW role
Knowledge/Experience Essential
• Own personal lived experience of criminal justice system and health/social care services.
• Willing to positively share your own life experiences, with service users and carers
Desirable
• Experience of supporting individuals to access services beyond mental health
• Experience of delivering training & sharing experience
• Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)
Skills Essential
• Able to demonstrate understanding of Intentional Peer Support
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery
• 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 appreciate / understand other people's worlds
Desirable
• Acceptable levels of written literacy and numeracy
• Basic Knowledge of IT including Microsoft Office Suite
Person Specification Qualifications Essential
• GCSE/NVQ 2 or equivalent in relevant subject
• Willingness to work toward attainment of NVQ 3 or equivalent in relevant subject
Desirable
• Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the RPSW role
Knowledge/Experience Essential
• Own personal lived experience of criminal justice system and health/social care services.
• Willing to positively share your own life experiences, with service users and carers
Desirable
• Experience of supporting individuals to access services beyond mental health
• Experience of delivering training & sharing experience
• Experience of actively supporting individuals to identify and work towards achieving personal goals in a related social care or health setting (paid or unpaid)
Skills Essential
• Able to demonstrate understanding of Intentional Peer Support
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of personal recovery
• 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 appreciate / understand other people's worlds
Desirable
• Acceptable levels of written literacy and numeracy
• Basic Knowledge of IT including Microsoft Office Suite
  
  Mersey Care Foundation Trust have produced an animation available on YouTube which explains the role of peer support / lived experience workers from a team's perspective which potential candidates may find helpful it can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCCS8MCStuM, Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities. At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.