[ref. n09469402] Band 2 Apprentice Peer Support Worker - Swindon and Melksham

Job overview

Our Support Workers offer time limited support to people whilst they are engaged with the Criminal Justice Service. We are an experienced, enthusiastic and growing team who will support you to develop in your role.

An integral aspect of LaDS is the employment of people who have used services themselves. We recognise the barriers some people with lived experience face when looking for employment and are passionate about providing opportunities as well as utilising your unique still set to support vulnerable people.

We understand that some applicants may find this difficult to talk about, but assure you we maintain a supportive and non-judgemental approach at all times.

PLEASE SEE JD FOR MORE DETAILS

Main duties of the job

With support and guidance from the team you will complete your apprenticeship alongside working directly with service users as part of the team. You will utilise your own experiences to empower others by promoting hope and helping people engage with, and navigate services that will support in improving their health and social care outcomes.

The post holder will be expected to work across all of our sites when required, including Police Stations, Courts and Prison.

Apprenticeship Programme

As this is an apprentice position, you will be required to successfully complete a L3 ‘Peer Worker’ apprenticeship whilst undertaking the requirements of the position. Applicants will be required to complete a screening assessment which includes English & Maths before an unconditional offer of employment can be made, you will need to successfully complete this within 1 week of being contacted by the apprenticeship training provider.

To undertake the Peer Worker apprenticeship, people will need to demonstrate that they have previous lived experience relevant to the role, there is a statutory or professional requirement for people within a Peer support worker role to be aged 18 or over, and therefore a minimum age limit would apply to this role.

PLEASE SEE JD FOR MORE DETAILS

Working for our organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Promote the rights, responsibilities and diversity of people.
2. Promote and maintain effective communication with people in order to build and sustain positive working relationships with individuals, families and carers.
3. Contribute to the planning, implementation and review of care packages, including implementing specific parts of an individual care plan on behalf of different care professionals.
4. Maintain accurate, confidential records of patient activity, writing reports and letters.
5. Support individuals in developing and maintaining their identity and personal relationships, including sometimes difficult or potentially difficult relationships.
6. Enable people with Mental Health needs to undertake their own health care, in accordance with their care plan.
7. Contribute to the protection of individuals from abuse and harm in line with local policies and procedures.
8. Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the workplace.
9. Your expertise of lived experience can bring a new perspective to working practices and policies. You will be encouraged to share these views.
10. We are keen to understand the onward journey of those who come to the attention of the service. You will be required to pursue the outcomes for [some] people referred into other services.

Other Duties

The post holder may be required to perform duties other than those given in the job description for the post. The particular duties and responsibilities attached to posts may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibilities entailed.

Such variations are a common occurrence and would not of themselves justify the re-evaluation of a post. In cases, however, where a permanent and substantial change in the duties and responsibilities of a post occurs, consistent with a higher level of responsibility, then the post would be eligible for re-evaluation.

• Police custody staff
• FME
• Community mental health services
• Prison
• Voluntary agencies
• Team colleagues
• Volunteers
• Most challenging part of this role

The most challenging parts of this role is working within the criminal justice pathway and the complexities of pathway navigation and maintaining service user engagement.

Apprenticeship Programme

National standards stipulate that apprentices must be able to evidence that they are spending a minimum of 20% of their working hours in learning. Depending on the delivery mode of your apprenticeship program this requirement may be met through a combination of assessor contacts, college attendance and workplace learning and mentoring.

Eligibility for an apprenticeship programme

Eligibility criteria for apprenticeships is set by the National Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) we as a Trust have no influence on this, as funding rules are dictated by the UK government. Within these rules it stipulates that:

(1) You must have been an ordinary resident of the UK/EU country for at least 3 years prior to the start date of the apprenticeship (which does not include time on a student visa)

(2) You must have enough time remaining on your current visa to cover the full duration of the apprenticeship programme.

We will be required to check the above eligibility criteria before an offer of employment, which includes the apprenticeship programme can be made.

If a candidate is unable to meet the required entry level for the apprenticeship then they will be unable to commence the apprenticeship post.

PLEASE SEE JD FOR MORE DETAILS

Person specification

Experience

• Lived experience of criminal justice, mental health or drug and alcohol services.
• The ability and willingness to successfully complete a suitable apprenticeship programme.
• The ability to form and sustain a trusting relationship with service users/carers.

• Experience of working in a health and social care setting.
• Previous experience of working for services in the community

Skills

• Well - developed listening skills and effective verbal communication skills such as to engage appropriately with service users, carers, and colleagues, statutory and voluntary agencies, both face to face and by phone.
• Written communication skills, with the ability to produce written reports, maintain accurate records and establish statistical data.
• The ability, with supervision, to manage own workload in an effective and timely manner.
• Demonstrate ability to use initiative appropriately, making decisions within the guidelines set.
• Able to demonstrate a general understanding of mental health issues with a positive non-judgemental approach towards people within the criminal justice service.
• Team-working skills within a multi-disciplinary group.