Perinatal CMHT Peer Support Worker

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Derby; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job description

We are looking for a Peer Support Worker to join the Derbyshire Perinatal Community Mental Health Team and support The Beeches Mother and Baby Psychiatric Unit.

The perinatal mental health service cares for women who are suffering with severe and complex mental health problems, from the end of the first trimester in pregnancy up until the baby is two years old. We work with women and their families, from Derby City and North and South Derbyshire. We have two team bases; the South base is on the Royal Derby Hospital site and the North base is located at Scarsdale in Chesterfield and also have an inpatient unit at The Beeches Radbourne Unit in RDH.

This role has been developed specifically for individuals who have lived experience of mental distress and have experience of accessing Perinatal Mental Health Services.

The successful applicant will work as a member of our multi-disciplinary community mental health team, which is made up of nurses, nursery nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, a social worker, occupational therapists, and peer support workers.

Main duties of the job

Under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, you will support the delivery of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary community/inpatient mental health service for women. You will do this through providing emotional support to women and families within the perinatal service to help them meet their treatment goals. Through sharing your own experience, you will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible, helping women to feel more positively about their future.

You will be able to promote peer support amongst women open to the perinatal service and contribute to the development of women's involvement and participation in service development.

In addition to this, you will be required to liaise with other services involved with the patient, demonstrating good communication and interpersonal skills and an understanding of operating in an environment that requires confidentiality.

About us

We are a well-established team, with a wealth of experience in this area and pride ourselves on delivering quality care to our patients and their families. Our service has been accredited for many years by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Care Quality Network for Perinatal Mental Health, as we have met and adhere to the required standards for delivering perinatal care in the community, ensuring best practice is adhered to.

Local induction, along with the Trust's corporate induction, will be provided and there are opportunities available to access training to support the development of your knowledge and skills in this area. Induction will also include shadowing experienced members of the team and regular clinical, managerial, and team supervision.

We have developed a hybrid way of working, which includes working from home and working from the office on a rota basis. This is subject to change. We have also invested in technology and we are one of the leading services in our organisation providing video consultations, as well as face-to-face home visits or visits in community settings.

Job responsibilities

Please see our job description which details all of the requirements for this post. This includes the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience the successful candidates will need to demonstrate.

Person Specification

Attainment/Qualifications

• GCSE English A-C grade (or working towards).
• Able to demonstrate a good standard of English.
• Willingness to undertake further training to support development of the role.
• Mental Health or Health and Social Care related qualification.
• Level of education to NVQ 3/AS level equivalent.

Skills

• Good written, verbal, and non-verbal communication skills.
• Able to share personal story of recovery in a supportive manner under guidance.
• Be patient, non-judgemental, respectful, and compassionate.
• Understand the impact of stigma and discrimination.
• Able to demonstrate and model self-care skills.
• Good organisational skills, including time management.
• Able to reflect on practice and open to constructive feedback.
• Able to ask for help.
• Able to work creatively and use initiative.
• Able to work well within a team.

Knowledge and Experience

• Lived experience of mental health issues.
• Lived experience of accessing perinatal mental health services.
• Understanding of operating in an environment that requires confidentiality.
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role.
• Lived experience of mental health services.
• Experience working with women and families.
• Experience of working in a team.
• Experience of working across different organisational boundaries.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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