Senior Peer Support Worker: Sponsorship Available

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

The role of the Senior Peer Support Worker has been developed specifically for individuals who have lived experience of psychosis. The post holder will have experience of a peer support (PS) role and are able to support others. Let’s Talk 2, led by Dr Melissa Pyle and Professor Tony Morrison, builds on our track record of research on psychological interventions for people with psychosis by evaluating the possible benefits of a peer-delivered stigma intervention for people with experience of psychosis.

The Let’s talk intervention is underpinned by the principles of peer support. Peer relationships are viewed as partnerships that invite and inspire both parties to learn and grow. The intervention involves inviting conversations to explore stigma related concerns and experiences, develop affirming self-beliefs, and learn skills to make personal and empowered disclosure decisions. The intervention involves up to 16 sessions over 4 months. Training and support will be provided including supervision from a peer specialist and a research psychologist. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of evidence regarding the effectiveness of semi-structured peer support. For this post we have 1.6wte funded and we will consider offering a minimum of 0.4wte (2 days per week) through to 1wte (5 days per week).

 

Main duties of the job

Through sharing wisdom informed by experience and knowledge the post holder will:

Support and promote recovery as a user led concept

Emphasise hope and optimism, individual aspirations and goals

Value experiential learning

Focus on strengths rather than deficits

Foster collaboration between those who need support and those who support them as an alternative to coercion

Enable and promote autonomy and self-management

There is an expectation that the Senior peer support worker will be a key contributor in the on-going development of peer support worker roles at the Trust including such things as training programmes and evaluations.

The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation. These principles will recognise the need to:

Promote safe practices

Value the aims of service users

Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice

Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change

Value social inclusion

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

  • Recognised competency-based qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. NVQ, B-TEC QCF, Apprenticeship), or equivalent demonstrable experience

Desirable

  • Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the SPSW role

Experience

Essential

  • Lived experience of psychosis and having received mental health services
  • Evidence of pro social behaviour (e.g empathy, actions that benefit others)
  • Experience of working in a relevant peer support role.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in a team
  • Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others
  • Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and Techniques

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Self-sufficient: able to work in an independent and autonomous fashion handling a diverse caseload
  • Seeks to continuously improve their approach, using reflective learning and suggesting ideas to their first line manager.
  • Role model and support others to develop.

Desirable

  • Supervisory/Management skills, e.g. wellbeing management; audits; performance management; goal setting; mentoring.
  • Experience of working with individuals using motivational techniques.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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: 29 July 2025

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.