Mental Health Support Worker

Mental Health Support Worker

Are you looking to make lives better by utilising your lived experience of mental illness or through caring for someone with Mental Health issues?

We are looking for someone who is kind, caring and supportive with good interpersonal and communication skills and who is keen to provide the highest quality experience for people.

Position: Mental Health Support Worker (Lived Experience Practitioner)

Location: Surrey, Hybrid

Salary: £16,068 per annum

Hours: Part time, 21 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term Contract until October 2024

Benefits: Hybrid and Flexible working, Pension, Employee Assistance Programme, 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

Closing Date: Monday 8th April 2024

The Role

Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, the Mental Health Support Worker will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. As an integral and highly valued member of the team, you will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to people using the service in order for them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery journey.

In particular, the Mental Health Support Worker will support the smooth transition of people using the service to other Mental Health services, by helping them to complete recovery and crisis plans for example. Within a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, you will promote choice, self-determination, and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Work alongside an agreed number of people using the GPIMHS / MHICS service on a 1:1 basis, in person and / or virtually, from a lived experience perspective.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver peer support interventions as agreed within the multidisciplinary team, and within a peer relationship.
• Use personal, experiential knowledge and to share lived experience when appropriate to benefit others.
• Assist others to create their own recovery and crisis plans, particularly people who are transitioning from the service to another Mental Health service (e.g. SABP Community Mental Health Recovery Service)
• Support people using the service to identify and overcome fears within a relationship of empathy and trust.
• Signpost to various resources, opportunities, and activities within the Organisation and in communities to promote choice and informed decision making.
• Accompany people who use the service to appointments / meetings / activities of their choice and performing a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
• Assist in risk assessments with multi-disciplinary staff, highlighting any changes in service users’ presentation relevant to their safety and feedback accordingly.
• Maintain a working knowledge of current trends in Mental Health, recovery, and peer support by reading books, journals and accessing peer support networks.

About You

You will have Lived experience of mental illness or experience of caring for somebody who has Mental Health problems, along with:

• Experience accessing primary and / or secondary Mental Health services.
• Paid or unpaid experience of working in a lived experience role.
• Numeracy and Literacy at a Key Stage 3 level or equivalent.
• Computer literate in Microsoft Office, and willingness to use the Organisation’s IT systems.
• Experience of recovering a meaningful life.
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role.
• Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional manner.
• Understanding and knowledge of recovery, of the issues and concerns of Mental Health service users, and of the impact of stigma and discrimination.

Understanding and knowledge of trauma informed care, and ability to use trauma informed care principles to benefit yourself and others.

About the Organisation

The charity is a Mental Health and emotional well-being charity, supporting Surrey residents since 1994 in Banstead, Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, and Mole Valley.

Offering a variety of face-to-face and online services, available to adults (aged 16+) living in Surrey who would like to restore and maintain their mental and emotional well-being (no diagnosis needed). The services are free of charge, with no waiting list and no time limit.

This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, and the successful completion of a probationary period.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The charity believes in a fair, equal, diverse and inclusive society. As an organisation, it believes we are stronger and richer when we bring together different experiences and perspectives to better serve clients and the local community. We strongly encourage applications from members of every community and the organisation actively seeks to hire people with lived experience of Mental Health issues.

You may have experience in other areas such as Mental Health, Mental Health Support Worker, Mental Health Care Worker, Mental Health Practitioner, Mental Health Case Worker, Mental Health Outreach Workers, Mental Health Coordinator, Health Support Worker, Health Worker, Care Worker, Support Worker.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.

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