Barking and Dagenham Peer Support Worker
About Mind in Havering, Barking & Dagenham
We are a local, independent charity and a member of the national Mind Federation. We support those with mental health issues in Havering, Barking & Dagenham towards recovery and leading a better life.
Background
NHS England have drawn up a new framework for community mental health care. They are committed to increasing funding for adult and older adult services but, in return, they want a new model where…
People with mental health problems will be enabled to manage their condition or move towards individualised recovery on their own terms, surrounded by their families, carers and social networks, and supported in their local community.
To this end, the Trust will engage in a programme of development, introducing new Neighbourhood Teams that will be based around Primary Care Networks. These teams replace the Access and Community Recovery Teams in order to improve continuity of care so that clinicians can develop longer lasting and deeper relationships with service users, their families, friends and networks. The change we aim to bring about is thus both structural and cultural and all staff joining the new teams will receive training in additional systemic skills.
We aim to recruit Peer Workers in each team through a collaboration between NELFT and Mind in Havering, Barking & Dagenham. Peer Workers will be core members of each team; they will support the delivery of a new integrated model of support for residents with moderate to severe mental illnesses and will complement existing community and statutory support within the local borough. The new model aims to ensure:
- That people with severe mental illness have improved access to mental health support and improved care coordination.
- That care and support delivered will be truly orientated towards the promotion and maximisation of individual’s health, wellbeing, and independence.
- That health inequalities often faced by people with severe mental illness will be reduced.
- That people with severe mental illness will have greater choice and control to support them to live well in their communities.
The new community model will deliver true integration of care and support across ‘secondary’ mental health services, the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), primary care, social care, community assets as well as other physical health care provision.
The new Neighbourhood Team will provide support to appropriately meet differing levels of need; supporting residents to maintain or prevent further deterioration in their mental health and aiming, to provide the necessary support to enable recovery from a mental illness where appropriate, empowering people to develop greater self-management of their health. The Team will enable people to make informed decisions about their health and social care needs and support them to maintain and maximise their health, wellbeing, and independence.
As a Peer Support Worker, you be fully integrated into the NELFT Neighbourhood Team for 80% of your working week and the remaining time with MIND. You will provide support and recovery guidance to individuals experiencing common and severe mental health problems, using your own life experience of mental distress or as a carer and recovery as a template.
Main aims of the post
The post holder will provide support and recovery guidance to individuals experiencing common and severe mental health problems, using their own life experience of mental distress or as a carer and recovery as a template.
Key Responsibilities:
- To develop a rapport and a therapeutic relationship with service users, within a relationally focused recovery model that will be at the heart of our new approach
- To provide regular and practical support to service users and their carers in developing and managing independence and maintaining dignity and self-respect
- To be a fully functioning member of the Neighbourhood Team (NT), carrying a caseload alongside other multi-disciplinary team members.
- To provide an evidence-based and individualised mental health care to a clearly defined group of patients as assessed and identified by RSMHT Clinical Lead.
- Plan care in association with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and external teams working with the service user. Involve service user and where appropriate, carers in the care planning and care delivery.
- Ensuring assessment, support/care-plans and intervention is shared and agreed with relevant individuals and agencies
- To attend training in trauma informed care alongside team members and use systemic and relational ways of working with clients within a peer support role.
A key emphasis is to enable service users to assume agency in their recovery and assist them in a holistic way to better health and wellbeing globally. This therefore also means:
- To work with local service user/peer networks and cultivate local communities around them
- To support service users to gain access to resources to include benefits, welfare rights, settled housing, inclusion opportunities and health promotion.
- To ensure that the service user understands who to contact within the different agencies involved in the support plan including employment education and training, leisure and culture and faith and community engagement as indicated by individual need.
- To provide support with daily living to empower people to live independent lives.
- To support service users to recognise good physical health as well as mental health and encourage them to engage in appropriate interventions, physical activity and healthy eating.
It is anticipated that peer workers will employ their own experience to work alongside participants in an equal partnership on their journey towards independent and fulfilling lives
Main duties of the post
- To work with a varied caseload of clients in one to one and group settings
- To use personal life experience of mental health issues in an intentional and professional way to provide insight and motivational support in achieving recovery goals
- To develop effective relationships with a range of external organisations and agencies
- To promote the service and the peer support approach to communities and agencies as appropriate
- To keep accurate and up to date records of clients records
- To ensure quality standards are adhered to and met and that audits are passed
- To ensure all statutory responsibilities are followed and reported as required
General work related expectations
- To work within both NELFT and Mind in Havering Barking & Dagenham values, ethos and vision
- To work in accordance with all policies and procedures of both NELFT and Mind in Havering, Barking & Dagenham, particularly (but not exclusively) Health and Safety; Information Governance and Safeguarding
- To commit to own personal development and attend training or development activities as required
- To work in accordance with all relevant legislation
- To undergo regular supervision and at least an annual appraisal
- To undertake any other duties as required, and as appropriate to the post