Job Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 4 Recovery Support Worker (RSW) to join the Wimbledon Recovery and Support Team. If you are passionate about impacting positively on the lives of people with severe and enduring mental illness in a community setting, then this could be the perfect job for you.
The Wimbledon Recovery and Support Team is a community-based service for working-age adults between 18 to 70 years, who have experienced severe and enduring mental illness. The Wimbledon Recovery and Support Team works collaboratively with clients, their carers and networks with the aim of minimising the impact of mental disorder has on their lives. The friendly team is made of integrated health and social care professionals. We work in close partnership with GPs, Housing, Police and other key partners, including voluntary organisations.
Wimbledon RST is a stable and cohesive team built on mutual trust, collaboration, teamwork and support. This largely explains our stability and very little or no turnover. Successful applicants will work as part of a Multidisciplinary Team as Care Coordinators.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be able to offer intensive engagement work and recovery-orientated interventions to people using services, particularly those in a heightened state of distress, and who may require additional levels support. You must be able to develop positive relationships with clients, adopting a pragmatic and non-judgmental approach, encourage and support individuals to take part in activities suited to their particular needs and interests, in a way that helps progress individual recovery plans.
You will be able to support and enhance the therapeutic care of individuals within the community, including contributing to meaningful care plans, risk management plans, and delivering appropriate and therapeutic interventions. You will work collaboratively with individuals in other community involvements -e.g. Supporting patients with housing, employment, education, welfare benefits, social and peer networks. You should be able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with individuals adopting a creative / problem solving approach to working practice. You should be committed to Multi-Disciplinary Team working and partnership working, establishing good networks with colleagues in the Home Treatment Teams, Recovery and Support Teams, In-Patient services, Police, GPs and a variety of voluntary, statutory and independent agencies.
About us
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ – we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Following an assessment, to provide practical and emotional support to service users and carers as described in their care plan.
- To be responsible for providing the link into the care coordination process for an allocated number of service users. This will include attending and actively participating in team meetings/ care plan review meeting and team training as appropriate.
- To positively promote and support independent living for service users in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with the community resources and actively supporting service users to use them.
- To develop a rapport with service users based upon professional support and companionship but within appropriate boundaries.
- To provide regular and practical support to service users and carers to maintain dignity and independence.
- To provide support with daily living: living ordinary lives (e.g. shopping and cooking).
- To help service users to gain access to resources to include benefits and welfare rights.
- To help service users to access information on health promotion.
- To help identify early signs of relapse by monitoring the clients progress, level of functioning and mental state and updating the care coordinator or other staff involved in the care of the client.
- To work closely with the care co-ordinators.
- To maintain adequate records as required by existing procedures; entering appropriate details in case records.
- To provide practical support in emergency situations as required by the care co-ordinator (i.e. arranging protection of property, transporting, arranging services, arranging protection of pets, collecting prescriptions, clothing)
- To support the Trainee and Practitioner Recovery Support Workers in their role providing advice/mentoring/training where appropriate.
- To participate in the planning of protocols to develop the service to the clients.
- To participate in the review of the service provided to clients overall by Recovery Support Workers and advise any changes to the Recovery Lead.
- To undertake direct client work where this is deemed appropriate, and to actively engage service clients in working to achieve the outcomes sought through their care plans, including the maintenance of contact with mental health services
- To liaise and work in close co-operation with members of the Mental Health Management Team, other mental health professionals, and voluntary and private sector agencies as required, to help ensure that best value services are delivered to service users
- To flag up disciplinary or performance issues with appropriate line manager.
Person Specification
Training & Qualification
Essential
- Ability and desire to obtain underpinning knowledge through Recovery Training
- Achieved NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent
- A commitment to undertake continuing personal and professional development
Experience
Essential
- Experience of mental health services (as a worker or service user / carer)
- Experience of working in Health and or Social Care services
- Demonstrable ability of supervising other staff
- Experience of training staff
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems
- Experience of working as a Recovery Support (STR) Worker
- Experience of supervising staff
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Able to demonstrate level 1 or above oral & written literacy and numeracy
- Intermediate level MS Office skills
- Evidence of interpersonal skills and an ability to form therapeutic relationships with service users and carers.
- Ability to listen effectively and communicate at all levels
- Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience
- An understanding of how to be non-judgemental
- An ability to act calmly in emergencies and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
- Knowledge of how to build community links
Desirable
- Basic health and safety awareness
- Moving and handling awareness
- Awareness of local services
- Knowledge of benefits/employment systems
- Basic food hygiene
- Basic First aid
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: 01 July 2024
