Mental Health Support Worker

Inspirations is a Mental Health charity run by and for those with Mental Health difficulties. We began work in Blackpool with services such as social groups, trips around the country and counselling. We have started an exciting new project in Northampton, providing supported living and step down support for people with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Our goal is to provide a therapeutic community that supports people to manage their own risks and support each other towards recovery.

Therapeutic community is a model of support where people (staff and people using the service) work together with shared responsibilities for the upkeep of the environment and for supporting each other. The project is a shared house for four people with EUPD. We are creating an environment so people with longstanding difficulties can build responsibility, skills and resilience and so the best chance of maintaining their community recovery. This support role will include emotional support as well as some practical support in day to day tasks. You will be supported by experienced management and a counsellor who will be facilitating regular group sessions with the people using our service.

We are seeking bank, part time and full time staff.

About you, about the role

Ideally you will have experience of working in Mental Health or have your own Mental Health experiences to inform your work. Lived experience of any diagnosis is always valued by us. We are a truly equal and diverse organisation and anti-discriminatory practice is embedded in all we do. We value a diverse workforce. This relates to Mental Health diagnoses as stated but also all other sections and demographics of society including racial, cultural and sex and gender identities.

We will provide full training. All staff will undergo training beyond that of other support roles, including specialist support techniques. This helps our work with our clients and also supports career development and salary increases.

This role is working with those with self harming and suicidal behaviours and so will be stressful at times and require resilience. You will be supported by management and colleagues in this and also have access to counselling support if necessary.

Developing trusting, genuine relationships is key to the therapeutic environment. An environment where we work in partnership with the person while minimising any power imbalances and hopefully removing the staff/service user dynamic as much as possible.

We are working in full partnership with the NHS and local authority. Staff will have many development opportunities as well as being supported by experienced management and having access to wellness support and counselling.

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Job Types: Bank, part time, full

time.

Role begins as soon as possible.

Support worker Person Specification

This section outlines the things we need from a Support Worker. You’ll see you don’t always need specific qualifications or experience, but you will need to be able to demonstrate certain personal qualities.

The essential criteria are those things which you must have in order to do the job. Desirable criteria are those qualities that would be either useful, or an advantage to have and/or are things that you could be trained to do.

Please use a personal statement with your C.V. to demonstrate how you meet these criteria.

Education and training

Desirable criteria:

A health and social care related qualification or training would be beneficial.

Skills & abilities

Essential criteria:

Able to be caring, sensitive and patient while supporting people to be as independent as possible.

Keen to work with the people Inspirations supports and demonstrate empathy and compassion as well as working in true partnership with them.

Enthusiasm to make a difference to people’s lives.

Willingness to undertake ongoing training to improve our ‘toolkit’

Ability to be creative and adapt to individual needs with personalised approaches.

The ability to read and write well enough to understand guidelines, policies and records etc.

Ability to listen, understand and respond to people, always putting the person that’s being supported first.

Ability to be flexible and open to new challenges, ideas and experiences.

Achievements and experience

Desirable criteria:

Experience of working with vulnerable people in a home, community or education setting.

Experience of working with people with Mental Health difficulties.

Experience of providing care and support in a work or non-work setting and of supporting people with behaviour that can challenge.

Experience of working with those with self harming and/or suicidal behaviours.

Experience of outcome based service delivery and the required records which evidence that.

Experience of working in a work team setting.

Values and behaviours

Essential criteria

We will be adhering to recognised codes of practice and conduct to guide our values and behaviours. This includes you agreeing to:

Protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and carers;

Strive to establish and maintain the trust and confidence of service users and carers;

Promote the independence of service users while protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm;

Respect the rights of service users whilst seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people;

Uphold public trust and confidence in social care services; and

Be accountable for the quality of your work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills.

Be accountable by making sure you can answer for your actions or omissions.

Promote and uphold the privacy, dignity, rights, health and wellbeing of people who use health

and care services and their carers at all times.

Work in collaboration with your colleagues to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare, care and support.

Communicate in an open, and effective way to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers.

Respect a person’s right to confidentiality.

Strive to improve the quality of healthcare, care and support through continuing professional development.

Uphold and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: From £25,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 8 – 40 per week

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Health & wellbeing programme

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday
• Night shift
• Weekend availability

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Northampton, NN3 7UB: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: North1