Eating Disorders Senior Peer Support Worker

The role of Senior Peer Support Worker (PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from an eating disorder and experience of professionally utilizing these experiences as Peer Support Workers. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Peer Support Workers inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. In the context of CNWL's Eating Disorders Service, the Senior Peer Support Worker will, with guidance from the Eating Disorders Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner and other Advanced Lived Experience Practitioners and Senior Peer Support Workers, facilitate and support the expansion of Peer Support Worker roles across the borough. The role will include inputting into the development and sustainability of Peer Support Worker posts, including role definition.

Main duties of the job

The Senior PSW will be actively involved in the recruitment of Peer Support Workers (PSW) locally and co-facilitate a range of Trustwide learning and development opportunities including delivery of the accredited 'Developing Expertise in Peer Support' training and 'Peer Support Team Preparation' workshops. The post holder will provide high quality individual supervision to Peer Support Workers working within Eating Disorders services, and group supervision to Peer Support Workers across the Trust. They will work alongside newly recruited PSWs supporting them in establishing their role within the multidisciplinary teams.

The Senior PSW will take a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work, alongside other Trust recovery champions. The post holder will act as an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organizations, co-delivering learning and development sessions to external agencies, which contribute to the peer support income generation programme.

The role will also encompass a clinical caseload and the co-facilitation of group work to deliver support to those individuals accessing Community Eating Disorders Services in Kensington & Chelsea. The post holder will promote the use of a 'coaching' role to support service users in identifying goals and developing personal recovery plans.

About us

Central and North West London NHS Trust expects the Senior Peer Support Worker to act in a way which shows an understanding of our core values and is active in putting them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members.

COMPASSION: contribution to a caring and kind environment and recognition that what you do and say can help to improve the lives of others.

RESPECT: acknowledge, respect and value diversity of each individual, recognition of uniqueness.

EMPOWERMENT: commitment to providing information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs. The Trust endeavors to support all staff to enable them to develop and grow.

PARTNERSHIP: work closely with others and behave in a way that demonstrates understanding that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and fund our work.

Job description

Job responsibilities

COMMUNICATION:

1. To provide high quality individual supervision to Peer Support Workers across Eating Disorders Services.
2. To be actively involved in the process of recruitment of peer support workers including being on interview panels.
3. To proactively engage and work with a range of internal services including Human Resources and Occupational Health to ensure robust processes are in operation for the recruitment and maintenance of wellbeing of the peer support workers.
4. To effectively co-deliver training, including the accredited Developing Expertise in Peer Support, Peer Support Worker Team Preparation sessions in readiness for peer support workers taking up post within teams and learning and development activities within the Recovery & Wellbeing College.
5. To maintain professional relationships with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance of boundaries.
6. Develop stronger links and working partnerships with a range of external agencies including other NHS Trusts employing peer support workers and voluntary organisations.
7. To promote the benefits of employment for those with lived experience of overcoming mental health challenges.
8. To challenge any inequalities and to address any discrimination whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation.
9. To contribute to publications and conference presentations in relation to peer support and using lived experience and liaise with other similar programmes that are developing throughout the country.
10. To effectively co-produce and co-deliver learning and development activities which address the needs of external agencies in developing their peer support worker workforce and which contributes to the peer support income generation programme.
11. To work with the Trustwide Lived Experience Practice & Peer Support Lead to develop advice and guidance for service providers in the field of Eating Disorders re: the development and sustainability of peer support worker posts, including role definition.
12. Report any untoward incidents or unusual occurrences to the manager/senior clinician immediately.
13. To communicate with patients/clients and carers with empathy, reassurance and tact.
14. To act as an ambassador for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations.

1. To work with the multi-disciplinary team alongside newly appointed peer support workers to deliver support to those individuals accessing community Eating Disorders Services.
2. To promote the use of a coaching role to support service users in developing personal recovery plans.
3. To provide meal support from a peer support lens.
4. To meet, welcome, introduce and orientate the service user, their carer and families to the service upon arrival.
5. To establish supportive and respectful relationships with people using the service.
6. To model/mentor a recovery process and demonstrate self-management skills and techniques, using own experience of recovery.
7. To act as a role model to service users to inspire hope, share life experiences and lessons learned as a person in recovery.
8. To skilfully use personal experience of recovery to help motivate patients.
9. To assume a coaching role supporting service users in developing personal recovery plans this can be delivered individually or in groups.
10. To support service users to maintain their physical health and wellbeing and attend GP health checks where relevant.
11. To accompany service users to appointments, meetings, therapeutic or social community-based activities as appropriate.
12. To work with carers and supporters where appropriate.
13. To work with the MDT in supporting those service users who are not actively engaging in services.
14. To support the team in promoting a recovery orientated environment by identifying recovery-focused activities and imparting information and education as required.
15. To help people identify their own recovery goals.
16. To assist service users to identify their strengths, personal interests and goals providing opportunities for service users to direct their own recovery process.
17. To support service users to identify and overcome fears within a relationship of empathy and trust.
18. To contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and review of care with the multi-disciplinary team.
19. To facilitate the individual to move through and beyond services.
20. To support service users to develop Health and Wellbeing Plans, encouraging individuals to connect/ reconnect with family, friends, significant others and in learning how to improve or eliminate unhealthy relationships.
21. To assist individuals in managing their health on a day to day basis including providing support with activities of daily living such as care of self, budgeting, personal care, caring for their home and leisure activities.
22. To positively promote and support independent living for service users in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with community resources and actively supporting service users to access them e.g. in relation to employment, community living and leisure.
23. To signpost to various resources, opportunities and activities within the Trust and in communities to promote choice and informed decision making.
24. To assist in the development and implementation of educational and peer facilitated support groups and activities.
25. To accept and respect service users personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.

1. To effectively organise workload and priorities when supporting and supervising peer support workers across a number of teams whilst also providing internal and external learning and development opportunities.
2. To support and guide peer support workers in the management of their caseload, to meet their local service requirements.

1. To implement and suggest changes to guidelines and practice within the team and wider service line re: peer support worker roles in the workforce.
2. To work in collaboration with the Eating Disorders Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner and other Senior PSWs/Advanced Lived Experience Practitioners to co-produce (i.e. design, implement and review) Trustwide peer support documents and initiatives.
3. To attend peer support conferences and workshops to increase knowledge of current developments and disseminate findings to enhance service delivery.
4. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific service user group, peer support and mental health.
5. To comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Confidentiality of Information and to be aware of any changes in these.
6. To be aware of, teach others and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.
7. To attend clinical, business & service development meetings as required.

1. To ensure timely and accurate recording of clinical related data and information on the electronic patient record system.
2. To maintain accurate supervision records of peer support workers as defined in Trust Guidelines, including the maintenance of a supervision record log.

1. To actively participate in own group and individual Peer and team-based supervision structures and objective setting/appraisal, including developing a Personal and Professional Development Plan (PPDP).
2. To ensure mandatory training is up to date.
3. To keep abreast of changing practice and development of peer support work and the wider recovery agenda by participating in relevant learning and development opportunities and support peer support workers to also identify and access relevant opportunities.
4. To participate in Trust mandatory training & development opportunities considered appropriate to the Senior PSW role and as identified in the Personal and Professional Development Plan (PPDP).
5. To undertake the accredited Developing Expertise in Peer Support Level 4 module.
6. To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development review/ Appraisal.
7. To engage in monthly Peer Support group and individual supervision.
8. To receive regular line management supervision as arranged by the ward/ service manager.

1. To contribute to the evaluation of peer support worker roles, with regard to the extent that peer support workers improve the service user experience, add value to the individuals recovery journey and demonstrate value for money.
2. To lead local audits in relation to the peer support worker role in Eating Disorders Services.
3. Under guidance of the Trustwide Lived Experience Practice & Peer Support Lead, to engage in national studies re: peer support.

1. To ensure high quality and regular professional supervision of peer support workers within Eating Disorders Services.
2. To contribute to the annual appraisal of staff who are supervised.
3. To support individual peer support workers to identify their own learning needs.
4. To work with MDT colleagues to embed recovery focused practice within the team, delivering presentations as and when required.
5. To identify the learning needs of the Trust peer support workers and co-produce and co-deliver training activities in response to needs identified.

• Completed peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
• Evidence of further training in relation to personal recovery principles
• Willingness to undertake or completion of Level 4 City, University of London-accredited Developing Expertise in Peer Support course
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

• Accredited certificate in Life Coaching

• Own personal lived experience of recovery from eating disorder(s)
• Experience of having personally utilised secondary mental health services
• Experience of positively sharing own life experiences, and personal recovery journey, with service users, carers and others
• Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• Experience of working in a range of health and/or social care settings as a peer support worker
• Experience of working with people with mental health challenges and supporting them to access opportunities beyond mental health services
• Recent experience of supervision of others (in paid or unpaid capacity)
• Recent experience of delivering training and presentations to a wide range of audiences.