Job Summary
STEP provides a range of psycho-educational courses focusing on mental health and wellbeing aimed at promoting recovery and prevention. Our approach supports empowerment and self-growth, enabling individuals to access activities and opportunities within their community.
We strive to improve the service we provide and recognise the importance and value of lived experience within our courses. Therefore, we are seeking to recruit a motivated and experienced Peer Recovery Worker with lived experience of receiving care from mental health services due to managing a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) to join our supportive, enthusiastic and dedicated team. This is one of two Peer Recovery Workers within the team.
The purpose of this role is to draw upon your lived experience to enhance the development and delivery of courses to support clients/learners’ recovery by helping them identify their strengths, values and aspirations through the importance of self-care.
The role will involve a combination of home and office working to encourage a positive work life balance alongside the needs of the service. We promote staff wellbeing and are keen on supporting staff to access network groups and nourish individual skills and attributes. You will be part of a team who contributes to and regularly receives accolades for the work we do.
You will be involved in the development of the service, working alongside volunteers, Experts by Experience and colleagues from our partners such as the PCMHT.
Main duties of the job
1. Develop, plan, review and facilitate psycho- educational courses which are facilitated online and face to face in a classroom setting.
2. Present healthy coping strategies, self-management tools and discuss the concepts of acceptance and self-compassion.
3. Work in co-production with clients, volunteers, Experts by Experience and others to emphasise recovery, social inclusion, vocational rehabilitation and promote good physical health and mental health wellbeing.
4. Involve and create client led enrolment plans and to ensure these are implemented in the delivery of the service.
5. Empower and involve clients in their understanding and ownership of their own recovery.
6. Support opportunities for clients and relevant others to volunteer within the service, as an initial step towards their goals, wherever appropriate.
7. Mentor volunteers and Experts by Experience.
8. Use creative ways of engagement, forming professional working relationships, and to support positive discharge for clients.
9. Develop creative and flexible ways of working including strong links and partnerships with local providers for the benefit of clients.
10. Provide educational and supportive input to carers and relatives if deemed appropriate.
11. Provide accurate, legible and complete information consistent with legal and organisational requirements as appropriate.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of mental health and associated difficulties, including primary and secondary health & social care in relation to recovery principles and practice. Knowledge of the philosophy and principles of co-production and client and carer led recovery initiatives. Awareness of the impact of stigma and discrimination and knowledge of trauma-informed care. Excellent communication, interpersonal, verbal and written skills. Knowledge of treatments and interventions used in mental health services. Knowledge/understanding of the signs, symptoms and effects of mental health problems
- Ability to manage course waiting lists and invites to courses. .
- Ability to: draw upon your lived experience to enhance the approaches offered to service users to support their recovery.
- deliver a range of specific therapeutic interventions with agreed outcomes.
- work closely with colleagues as part of the team supporting clients with their recovery.
- to respond appropriately and sensitively to clients/carers, particularly in times of distress
- enable and coach others.
- work with a diverse group of people either in groups or individually.
- provide recovery approach interventions
- helping clients engage with and build connections and a sense of belonging to their local communities and meaningful activities.
- work as part of the team supporting the families or carers of the service user where appropriate
- support clients to build their understanding and coping skills and autonomy
- develop/co-produce individual collaborative enrolment plans to meet assessed needs identified by the referrer.
- co-produce and deliver training.
- manage course waiting lists and invites to courses.
- to assist in the audit and evaluation of services provided.
- Good IT skills, including some knowledge of and skills in the use of Microsoft Office software programs, e.g. Word, Outlook, PowerPoint Excellent problem solving and organisational skills.
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE level in Maths and English Language, or equivalent.
- A willingness to undertake any further training as required.
Desirable
- ImROC Training or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Lived experience of managing a serious mental illness (SMI).
- The lived experience would need to align with the needs of the service provision.
- Direct experience of using mental health or voluntary services and ability to use this experience positively in the role and be willing and able to share one’s own personal recovery to help others.
- Personal experience of recovery and being in a supportive and enabling role.
- Experience of providing training and / or group work.
- Experience of being with people who use mental health services and some experience of supporting them with their recovery.
Desirable
- Experience of working in the health or voluntary sector and/ or partnership working.
- Experience of working in a community facing role.
- A range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others.
Other
Essential
- Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the role, and to cope with changing situations, needs and demands and a varying timetable of work.
- Ability to develop and maintain safe and effective therapeutic recovery relationships.
- Willing to travel within a geographical area in a timely and effective manner.
- Genuine passion for working with people who experience mental health conditions specific to the service
- Ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Closing Date: 03 August 2025
