Peer Educator

Job Overview

Are you an experienced peer worker with a passion for delivering training? Would you like to engage and develop new and prospective peer workers ?

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is looking for enthusiastic, experienced Peer Educators to deliver training to peer workers.

Peer Educators will need to be able to work autonomously and as part of a team, delivering online trainings regularly to both peer workers and peer supervisors in and outside of CNWL.

This is an exciting opportunity to be the first Peer Educators within CNWL’s established peer and lived experience workforce, joining a staff group of over 100.

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated individuals with excellence in communication, competency with digital skills, and the ability to work in an inclusive, respectful and recovery-focused manner to join us in establishing and sustaining a high standard of course delivery, development and evaluation.

Main duties of the job

In line with CNWL’s national roll out of Peer Support Worker (PSW) and Peer Support Worker Supervision Training, the Peer Educators will be integral members of the Peer & Lived Experience Training Team, working within Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) and with external placing organisations across NHS England.

The Peer Educators will act as key members of the Peer & Lived Experience Training Team, delivering all aspects of the training to peer and lived experience workers both locally and nationally, as well as staff interacting with and working alongside them. The Peer Educators will be responsible for a consistently high standard of course delivery, maintaining a perspective focused on recovery, social inclusion, service user choice and empowerment.

The post holders will participate in the development, evaluation and promotion of ‘Developing Expertise in Peer Working’ Training and Peer Support Worker Supervision Trainings, ensuring the course is delivered, evaluated and updated to meet the diverse needs of the client group.

They will be responsible for ad hoc one-to-one pastoral and academic support of students, liaising where appropriate with students’ employers, and for the assessment and marking of student assignments in line with the expectations and requirements of the course’s accrediting body.

Working for our organisation

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

For a comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities within this role, please read the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Please note only candidates who have personal lived experience of recovery from mental health difficulties and emotional distress should apply.

Please therefore refer to your lived experience in your application.

Person specification

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Completion of Peer Support Training
• Basic Training Certificate
• Train the Trainer course
• Commitment to obtaining underpinning knowledge through work-based and mandatory training
• Evidence of ongoing personal and professional development
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Training Qualification
• Degree Level education
  
  

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Lived experience of recovery from mental health difficulties and emotional distress
• Teaching experience including the design and delivery of recovery-focused training
• Experience of using NHS health services
• Experience as a peer trainer or other lived experience-centric training role
• Experience of providing supervision
• Experience of working in a socially inclusive and recovery focused manner, supporting service users to achieve their goals
• Experience of public speaking and delivering presentations
• Experience of using online platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom
• Experience of autonomous working
• Experience of co-ordinating a busy workload
• Experience of identifying and assessing a challenge/difficulty and acting on initiative to effect timely resolution
• Experience of producing/writing reports
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working as part of a remote or hybrid team
• Experience in co-production
• Experience in training evaluation and assessment
• Experience in developing alternative approaches to learning
  
  

Skills, Knowledge And Abilities

Essential criteria

• Able to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery at an expert level
• Ability to draw upon personal experiences of using services and of recovery to inspire and empower students
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of peer workers and supervisors
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• Good communication skills i.e. written, verbal, listening
• Able to use collaboration software (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc)
• High level of computer literacy (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint etc)
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to plan, allocate and evaluate own work and develop self to enhance performance
• Ability to see strengths rather than deficits
• Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
• Ability to work in accordance with Trust Policies and Procedures
• Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity
• Team working skills (able to work as a key member of a small team to achieve results, including able to encourage collaborative working)
• Excellence in timekeeping
• Flexible, with ability to adapt and implement ideas in diverse situations
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Awareness of community resources and service user groups
• General awareness of healthcare provision
• Knowledge of current legislation which underpins Health and Social Care and a working knowledge of the Equalities Act 2010 and Human Rights Act
• Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Practice