Carer Peer Support Worker

Thank you for your interest for the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT), it is an exciting time to join us and being part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we:

• Collaborate at every level by living our Values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
• Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
• Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
• Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
• Ensure that research, Quality Improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
• Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do

We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer. We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.

The North London Way to deliver, Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.

Our trust website is: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/

Job overview

• As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the Carer Peer Support Worker (CPW) will provide formalised support and practical assistance to friends and family, helping them in their role as carers. They will support service users and carers in regaining control over their lives and their unique recovery process, enabling them to ‘Live, Love, Do.’
• By sharing wisdom from their own lived experience, the CPW will inspire hope and belief in the possibility of recovery. Within a relationship of mutuality, they will facilitate and support information sharing to promote choice, self-determination, and opportunities for fulfilling socially valued roles and connecting to local communities.
• The CPW will play a role in embedding recovery values alongside Trust colleagues and act as an ambassador of Recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations.
• The CPW will promote their role by providing information and a range of learning opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team and others across the Trust.
• CPWs are expected to be actively involved in the ongoing development of carer roles within the Trust.

• The CPW will work with an agreed group of carers, friends, and family on a one-to-one and/or group basis and attend service and Trust-wide meetings to represent the carer perspective. They will also have the opportunity to co-work with other colleagues.
• Reporting directly to the identified Team Manager or equivalent and under the professional supervision of a Social Worker, the CPW will be responsible for delivering carer peer support interventions as agreed and contributing to the care planning process as required by the service.
• Work alongside the social work team, lived experience team, inpatient nursing, occupational therapy, and psychology teams to support the development of carer representation and voice, particularly when a relative has been recently admitted to the service.
• Attend and contribute to the Friends and Family group, supporting arrangements for and facilitation of meetings.

Working for our organisation

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

• Engage in carer networks across the North London Provider Collaborative.
• Develop publicity materials with the administrative team to inform carers about available services and how to access support.
• Collaborate with clinicians to meet with families, offering support and information.
• Attend Trust and service meetings to represent the carer perspective and influence thinking and practice.
• Ensure adherence to appropriate security and risk procedures.
• Support the nursing team in maintaining consistency in the support and engagement of friends and families and communicate suggestions to the appropriate operational meetings.
• Establish links with external community resources to support the development and inclusion of information and signposting for carers.
• Receive and provide feedback to and from relevant members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Adhere to Trust policies and divisional protocols.
• Ensure that involvement in any activities complies with Health and Safety procedures, fire regulations, and security policies.
• Participate in team and business meetings relevant to the area of work.
• Undertake mandatory training.
• Attend regular supervision sessions.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person specification

Lived Experience

• Experience of caring for a friend or relative who was a formal mental health patient

• Experience of caring for a friend or relative who was a forensic mental health patient

Communication Skills

• Evidence of competent communication skills

• Evidence of exceptional communication skills

Orgaisational Skills

• Demonstrates experience of self motivation

• Demonstrates experience of independent working