Working with Penumbra · For more information about Penumbra: For enquiries about the position please contact: [email protected] or 0131 475 2380 Penumbra, Norton Park,

1

Peer Worker January 2020

Dear Applicant, Thank you for your interest in the post of Peer Worker. This is an exciting post that

offers the opportunity to work with one of the leading mental health organisations in

Scotland. We support around 1600 adults and young people every week. With over

400 staff across Scotland, we work to promote mental health and wellbeing for all,

prevent mental ill health for people who are ‘at risk’ and to support people with mental health problems.

Working with Penumbra

It is one of our key strategic objectives to support, value, develop and involve all of

our staff. We seek to ensure our employees have a working environment that

enables them to feel safe at work, have the necessary skills they need, and access

to the learning opportunities to fulfil their potential.

Our most recent staff survey found:

• 95% of staff would recommend Penumbra as a good place to work

• 95% of staff feel they have a competitive benefits package when compared to

other third sector organisations

• 96% of staff are proud to tell people they work for Penumbra

• 90% of staff look forward to coming to work

Working with Penumbra offers you the opportunity to -

• work with a leading provider of mental health services

• gain qualification in health and social care ( role and service specific)

• learn new skills and work with award – winning tools and approaches

• develop personally and professionally through support and supervision

• develop new ideas within a culture that support innovation and continuous

improvement

• coach other members of the team in recovery approaches

• access support at any time through employee assistance programme

• access to lone-working procedure so you can get help at any time

Peer Worker Job Ref: E07/20

2


Recovery

Recovery means to experience positive wellbeing and to have the opportunity to live

as full a life as possible. A Peer Worker is therefore someone who supports and

enables people to achieve their goals and maximise their potential.

A Peer Worker is therefore…

• Compassionate

• Respectful

• Hopeful

• Reliable

• Willing to Learn

• Open to new ideas

• A good team player

• A good communicator

• Creative

• Solution - Focused

Application Process

All applicants must complete and submit an application.

Please visit www.penumbra.org.uk/vacancies to complete an online application form or to

download a .doc or .pdf form.

Closing date for applications is: Tuesday 28th January 2020 at 5pm Interviews will be held on: Friday 7th February 2020 Applications can be completed online or sent to: [email protected] Good luck with your application. Yours sincerely

http://www.penumbra.org.uk/vacanciesmailto:[email protected]

3


Job Title: Peer Worker Responsible To: Recovery Practitioner Salary: £17,850 - £18,480 per annum (£9.15 - £9.48/hr equivalent) Working Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week) or Part Time (minimum 22.5 hours per week) Location: East Lothian Services Leave: 33 days (pro rata if part time)

Job Summary You will be working in the East Lothian Services, to support people with their mental health and or wellbeing. You will assist people to establish and maintain meaningful and fulfilling links in the community and support them to identify their desired outcomes. You will support people to achieve these desired outcomes by being a therapeutic practitioner/facilitator, and where appropriate use own lived experience of recovery. ___________________________________________________________________

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To have initial conversations and be the initial point of contact for people. • To establish a supportive relationship with each person, enabling them to maximise

their own resources in order to improve their quality of life.

• To explore coping and self-management techniques, with the person. • To help people develop their own support plan • To assess risk and help people keen themselves and others safe • To help people to access the support they need • To reconnect people to their support network in the community • To connect people to positive activities • To ensure people can access specialist mental health interventions • To meet people in community settings • To be flexible and responsive to meet the changing needs of people and the

organisation as well as the community, within the agreed criteria.

• To work in cooperation with other Penumbra peer teams (and other support teams) and external professionals, stakeholders as needed.

• To participate in and facilitate training activities, community events, workshops and related meetings as required.

• To uphold Penumbra’s Code of Practice. • To be responsible for maintaining the relevant systems of paper-based and electronic

documentation.

Job Description

4


Person Specification Qualifications

Essential

• Good level of educational attainment Desirable

• SVQ3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent as defined by the SSSC or willingness to work towards to it.

• Completion of Peer Support Worker Training (e.g. Meta Services Peer Employment Training or other similar peer support training)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role • Personal experience of mental health recovery and or

management. Desirable

• Experience working with a person-centred approach • Experience of working in the mental health field

Core Competency – Working with Others

Essential

• Builds good working relationships with team members. • Works collaboratively with other professionals as required. • Gives others time and space to express what they think, feel and

want.

• Shows sensitivity and seeks to understand the perspectives of others.

Core Competency – Learn and Apply

Essential

• Is aware of own strengths and development needs. • Demonstrates commitment to keeping knowledge, understanding

and skills up to date.

Core Competency – Communication

Essential

• Speaks and writes clearly and accurately and ensures the message is understood.

• Explains clearly and accurately issues, policies, procedures and other pertinent information.

• Conveys sensitive or contentious information tactfully.

Core Competency – Managing Self

Essential

• Is able to deal with difficulties by keeping them in perspective. • Is open to change and continually improving practice. • Is able to maintain a good work life balance. • Has the awareness of when to ask for help and has the confidence

to do so, where appropriate.

Core Competency – Professionalism

Essential

• Demonstrates a commitment to Penumbra’s values. • Works to policies, procedures and relevant legislation. • Maintains sound ethical and professional standards at all times. • Has a clear understanding of confidentiality, disclosing information

only to those who have the right and need to know.

• Takes responsibility for own work. • Strives to provide efficient, effective, high quality services. • Projects a positive image of Penumbra at all times.

Role Specific Essential

5


Competency – Supporting People

• Supports individuals in line with organisational values, policies and procedures.

• Understands recovery and is able to work with a recovery/outcome focused approach.

• Consistently works with a person-centred approach. • Supports the individual’s right to control their lives and enables

them to informed choices about the services they receive.

• Protects the rights and promotes the interests of people.

For more information about Penumbra: www.penumbra.org.uk

For enquiries about the position please contact: [email protected]

or 0131 475 2380

Penumbra, Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, Edinburgh, EH7 5QY T 0131 475 2380 | F 0131 475 2391

W www.penumbra.org.uk E [email protected]

http://www.penumbra.org.uk/mailto:[email protected]://www.penumbra.org.uk/mailto:[email protected]

Experts by Experience

Values Framework for Peer Working

Hope Authenticity

Experience

Mutuality

Responsibility

Empowerment


www.scottishrecovery.net 1



Developed by

The Scottish Recovery Network

In partnership with the

Peer Learning Network

Special thanks to

Working Group members

Sylvia Collumb, Moira Gillespie, Gillian Grant, Dorothy Hansen,

Andrew Kernohan, Sharon Lear, Rona McBrierty, Jacquie Nicholson, Susan Pollock.


2

Introduction

The Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) was formally launched in 2004

as an initiative designed to promote and support recovery from mental

health problems. Our goals are to raise awareness of recovery; encourage

empowerment; develop the evidence base and influence policy and practice.

Since 2004 interest in the concept of recovery has increased greatly. We

understand more about what recovery means to people and are working

to raise awareness of the implications of this for the way people with

mental health problems are supported.



What is Peer Working?

Peer working is an emerging role within the mental health sector.

Peer workers are individuals with personal experience of mental health

problems who are trained and employed to support others. This involves:

Developing mutually empowering relationships.

Sharing personal experiences of recovery in a way that inspires hope.

Offering help and support as an equal.

Peer working is a complement to both informal peer support and services

provided by a range of different organisations and agencies.

Peer working is a potentially powerful way to support and develop recovery

focused practice. Peer support and recovery focused practice are underpinned

by common sets of values that guide and inform their approaches.


4

Why develop a Values Framework?

SRN offer support to develop and implement peer worker roles through our ‘Experts

by Experience’ guidelines publication. More recently we have also commissioned

and worked with the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) to develop a national

qualification (Professional Development Award) in Mental Health Peer Support.

The Values Framework is part of this work to support and promote peer working in

Scotland. We worked with those actively involved in peer working to develop this

Values Framework with the aim of:

Ensuring the role remains true to the peer support ethos.

Clarifying the role and identity of peer workers.

Creating a basis for the further development of peer worker roles and services.

Improving understanding of peer working.

Complementing the Experts by Experience guidelines and the national

SQA award.



How to use the Values Framework

The Values Framework has been developed to increase awareness

and understanding of the role. It will inform and guide peer workers,

employers and those interested in developing peer working roles.

For more information about peer working go to our website

www.scottishrecovery.net.


6

Introduction to VALUES

The Values Framework is grounded in six core values:

Hope

Authenticity

Experience



A useful way to remember key information is to create what are known as mnemonics. The values developed happen to fit into HEAR ME which is an apt memory aid.

Mutuality

Responsibility

Empowerment


8

We believe in the reality of recovery for all and that:

Peer workers are powerful role models

and evidence of the reality of recovery.

We are all unique individuals, with hopes,

dreams and aspirations with the potential

to be all that we can be.

The peer relationship offers a unique healing

environment and powerful way of promoting

hope and optimism.

It is possible to learn and grow from

challenges and setbacks.

Hope

Values and Beliefs



We believe recovery is a unique and individual experience and that:

We are all experts in our own experience.

There are many roads to recovery and

different ways of understanding and

interpreting experiences.

The sharing of experiences can be a powerful

catalyst for personal change and growth.

Peer workers use their lived experience

intentionally to encourage and support recovery.

Experience


10

We believe being authentic is about being true to ourselves and that:

Empathy and compassion are at the

heart of the peer relationship.

Authentic relationships are open,

honest and mutual.

Peer support is about building connections

that enable people to trust and to share their

wisdom.

Having compassion for others is grounded

in being compassionate towards yourself.

Authenticity

Values and Beliefs



We believe wellness and recovery involves taking responsibility and that:

Supporting people to make changes is achieved

through ‘being with’ rather than ‘doing for’.

Peer workers have a responsibility to ensure

that the values of peer support are nurtured

and developed.

Peer workers should take responsibility for their

learning and development.

Peer workers have a responsibility to challenge

stigma and discrimination encountered in their

role.

Responsibility


12

We believe that mutuality is core to peer working and that:

We are interdependent and all have

something to contribute.

Mutuality is developed through respectfully

sharing ideas, learning and experiences.

Mutuality develops through discussion and

negotiation of what is helpful in the relationship.

Everyone involved in the relationship has

a responsibility for making it work.

Mutuality

Values and Beliefs



We believe empowerment means being in the driving seat and that:

Recovery is the job of each individual and the

peer relationship is based on learning together.

Empowerment happens as we draw on our

strengths and abilities both individually and

collectively.

Taking risks, trying new things and moving

beyond our comfort zone are essential to

personal growth and change.

Having power and control comes from identifying

our own needs, making choices and taking

responsibility for finding solutions.

Empowerment


14

The values in the framework are demonstrated in practice through the following behaviours

Encourage peers to challenge themselves and to mitigate for potential risks.

Intentionally sharing experiences and stories of hope and recovery.

Values into Practice

Accepting peers where they are at, avoiding judgement and interpretation.

Demonstrating and modelling relationship skills through our attitudes, interactions, behaviours and use of language.

Being alongside and partnering peers – not doing to or for.

Help peers explore and broaden personal identity and worldview.

Encourage responsibility for self care, wellness and recovery.

Take a strengths based approach focusing on hopes, aspirations and self defined goals.



Encourage the reframing of setbacks and help identify ways to learn from them.

Encourage peers to make informed choices and seek out relevant information to enable this.

Support peers to explore meaning and purpose in their lives.

Work with boundaries that are responsive and flexible being mindful of organisational policies.

Acknowledge and discuss issues relating to power.

Respect rights, dignity, privacy and confidentiality.

Respect diversity and have cultural awareness.

Maintaining and building on skills and learning whilst keeping current with emerging knowledge on peer support and recovery.

Be a reflective practitioner and learn from experience.

Help people build social supports and make community connections.


16

Use supervision to support and enable you to develop your understanding and practice.

Seek out opportunities to meet with other peer workers to share learning.

Take personal responsibility for your own self development, self care, wellness and recovery.

To be a role model and champion recovery.

Ensure the values of peer working are at the centre of all our interactions.

Advocate for peers to make their own decisions in matters affecting their lives.

Be an active member of the team and contribute in a positive and solution focused manner.

Constructively challenge non-recovery focused, stigmatising and discriminatory practices.

See and use the community as a resource.

Scottish Recovery Network

Suites 320-323

Baltic Chambers

50 Wellington Street

Glasgow G2 6HJ

Phone: 0141 240 7790

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.scottishrecovery.net

Charity number (Penumbra) SC010387

Published: September 2012

ISBN 978-0-9556359-5-3

Supported by the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Division.

Documents

Working with Penumbra · For more information about Penumbra: For enquiries about the position please contact: [email protected] or 0131 475 2380 Penumbra, Norton Park,