Job description

Job responsibilities

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The post holder will:

• Have experience of working with service users experiencing serious mental illness with a variety of social and health support needs.
• Have a strengths-based and recovery focused approach when working with service users.
• Build safe, trusting relationships with service users and their carers; understanding the importance of empowering them.
• Will understand the possible barriers in building a good, effective, professional, empathic relationship with service users, and be aware of strategies to help overcome them.
• Empower individuals to identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and collaboratively set recovery objectives in line with the Serious Mental Illness pathway and supervision of senior team members
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver a high standard of support to our service users.
• Use their own initiative to meet the needs of service users and service.
• Work within the Recovery principles.
• Identify barriers and gaps in services, state how they could be improved and identify good practice.

• Identify and attend appropriate training and development opportunities as required.

• Work in partnership with the Peer Support and Recovery Coordinator to access personal support in order to improve own self-confidence to do the job and manage personal wellbeing.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide emotional, practical support, and advice to enable service users to improve their quality of life, develop their skills and make decisions about their future in line with the prescribed care plan.

• To maintain good communication and links with LYPFT (Leeds and York Partnership foundation Trust.

• To develop and maintain positive and professional relationships with service users, and volunteers.

• Participate in the engagement and observation of service users, monitoring progress and mental health, under indirect supervision from Mental Health Practitioners and other registered professionals in the team.

• Encourage and motivate service users to engage with staff and other agencies and engage in meaningful activity, accompanying them to external appointments where appropriate.

• To support the Mental Health Practitioners in delivering identified components of the prescribed care plan.

• To respond appropriately to all service user needs to safeguard the wellbeing of all service users and staff.

• To maintain accurate records of work undertaken by yourself and any other records as required by the Peer Support and Recovery Coordinator.

• To attend and participate in team meetings and other related team and organisational events.

• To liaise with external agencies as required such as tier 2 inpatient rehabilitation, providers and support services.

• To work to actively combat mental health inequalities.

TOUCHSTONE GENERAL

1. To provide information and advice about Touchstones services to managers, teams, and other people/agencies with an interest in the organisation's work.

2. To undertake out of hours work as required by the service.

3. To be inducted, supervised, performance managed and appraised in line with the organisations performance management policies and procedures.

4. To be responsible for personal learning and development where appropriate and undertake training, both mandatory and optional, to increase knowledge, skills and awareness.

5. To be aware of and implement the general practices of Touchstones Health, Safety and Security policies and keep Managers informed about any serious and untoward incidents, safeguarding issues, health & safety concerns, financial issues, staff welfare.

6. To operate within the aims, policies and practices of Touchstone at all times and to be committed to and promote the organisations equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory policies.

7. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with Touchstones policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data.

8. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Manager, in line with the responsibilities of this post.

LYPFT GENERAL

1. To attend a full induction programme consisting of development and wellbeing planning, goal setting and shadowing.

2. To be responsible for personal learning and development and undertake appropriate training, both mandatory and optional to increase knowledge, skills and awareness, inc role specific LYPFT Support Work Training

3. To visit relevant external agencies who work with LYPFT.

4. To attend regular support sessions, reflective practice, supervision and performance reviews with the Peer Support and Recovery Coordinator, in line with the organisations performance management policies and procedures.

5. To work at all times as part of a team. This includes working with other staff, attending team and staff meetings and developing a solution-focused approach to all aspects of the organisations work.

6. To be aware of and employ the general practices of LYPFT regarding safeguarding, and health and safety policies and ensure these are adhered to at all times.

7. To operate within the aims, policies and practices of LYPFT at all times and to be committed to and promote the organisations equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory policies and to promote this with staff.

8. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with LYPFT policies around confidentiality, communications, internet, e-mail and telecommunications, and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data.

9. To ensure that Data Protection, Health & Safety, Complaints Handling and Corporate Governance requirements are met.

10. To keep the Peer Support and Recovery Coordinator informed about any serious and untoward incidents, safeguarding, health and safety, and/or financial issues.

11. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Peer Support and Recovery Coordinator in line with the responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Good interpersonal skills, including listening empathetically and non-judgmentally
• Able to communicate and report accurately using basic IT skills (typing and email)
• Willingness to learn IT systems used within the service
• Effectively build rapport and interact sensitively with team members, volunteers, service users, members of the public and representatives from other organisations.
• Support and empower a wide range of vulnerable people and other volunteers
• Successfully work alongside other agencies and organisations in a professional manner
• Able to reflect on work practice and be willing to receive constructive feedback
• Ability to transport / accompany peers to appropriate appointments
• Car driver and access to own car for work purposes

Equal Opportunities

Essential

• Commitment to Touchstones aims and values
• Commitment to personal development, learning and reflective practice
• Commitment to taking personal responsibility and promoting this with other people
• Open to change in line with the needs of the service/organisation
• Willingness to be managed and supervised in a matrix management set up
• Willingness to work flexibly according to needs of the service
• Ability to maintain confidences (within the policy of the organisation)
• Highly motivated and resilient
• Willingness to use supervision

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with a range of people in a supportive and enabling role
• Experience of working with individuals with severe mental illness
• Monitoring and evaluating systems including effective record keeping.
• Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery
• Effectively supervising and supporting people with lived experience of mental health problems,
• Promotes effective team working to provide high quality care through effective communication and liaison.
• Ensure effective communication with the team and managers during the planning, implementation and evaluations of care and progression of the service

Desirable

• Lived experience of emotional distress/mental health problems
• Knowledge and experience in the use of some form of recovery plan.
• WRAP
• Crisis Plan
• Joint crisis plan
• Advance decision
• Advance statement
• Recovery star
• Outcomes star
• My shared pathway
• Coping with setbacks

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Knowledge of how severe mental illness can impact an individuals recovery
• Knowledge of Mental Health and community resources in West Yorkshire and how to help service users access them.
• Awareness of current issues facing mental health service users
• Confidently recognise discrimination in its many forms and willing to put into practice Touchstones Equality Policies

Desirable

• Mental Health Legislation and policy
• Knowledge of LYPFT Policies and Procedures

Attitudes and Disposition

Essential

• Commitment to Touchstones aims and values
• Commitment to personal development, learning and reflective practice
• Commitment to taking personal responsibility and promoting this with other people
• Open to change in line with the needs of the service/organisation
• Willingness to be managed and supervised in a matrix management set up
• Willingness to work flexibly according to needs of the service
• Ability to maintain confidences (within the policy of the organisation)
• Highly motivated and resilient
• Willingness to use supervision

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Touchstone

Address

Touchstone House

2-4 Middleton Crescent

Leeds

LS26 0DL