Do you want to support people with mental health issues in a moment of crisis? Are you calm, non-judgmental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?
Can you demonstrate our values of Hope, Courage, Together, and Responsive and want to be part of our mission to create opportunities for individuals to make choices, find their own solutions, build resilience and manage their whole life and wellbeing?
If the answer to all of these is yes, we want to hear from you.
Mental Healthcare Support Worker – Helpline & Crisis Cafés - Evening and Weekends
Reference: 198
Responsible to: Crisis Cafe Coordinator
Working Base(s): Watford, Stevenage and Ware (expectation to travel whenever necessary with mileage paid when not working at home base)
Salary: £22,347 - £24,024 per annum, FTE
Hours: Full time or part-time positions (30 or 22.5 hours) available in addition to Bank hours.
Work pattern: A full-time pattern will be working 5 out of 7-day rota, working 17:30 - 01:30
About the Service
Our Nightlight Service is proud to provide urgent support, crisis intervention and emotional support to people experiencing a mental health crisis in Hertfordshire as an alternative to statutory pathways.
We provide support to adults across Hertfordshire 7 days a week, 365 days a year through our helpline, crisis centres, crisis cafes and a weekend Crisis House. We aim to provide a safe space for people in crisis to talk and feel supported, be listened to without judgement, access relevant support with problem solving and facilitate access to external services when necessary.
The objectives of Hertfordshire Mind Network’s (HMN) Nightlight Mental Health Crisis Services are:
- To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health crisis in Hertfordshire.
- To increase early access to help for people experiencing mental health crisis in Hertfordshire, by providing a clear and effective pathway to services provided by Herts Mind Network and other third sector and statutory providers.
- To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
- To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
- To provide an alternative pathway to people in distress and crisis to support better outcomes and reduce the demand on statutory crisis services and emergency services.
About the Role
Mental Healthcare Support Workers are key members of staff delivering the Nightlight Mental Health Crisis Service, taking part in a rota covering 7 days per week, ensuring the delivery of quality crisis support services and instilling Hertfordshire Mind Network’s values throughout the crisis cafe and helpline provision. Working closely with other staff (bank staff, volunteers), coordinators, team leaders and Crisis manager to ensure services are of the highest quality and support the continued growth and development of the service.
Key Responsibilities
- Providing emotional support and developing, alongside clients, flexible and realistic crisis support/person-centred plans within agreed guidelines with support from leadership team (including assessments of need, risk, crisis support plans and review forms), often where risks are significant.
- Liaising with statutory agencies to ensure appropriate intervention is obtained for individuals.
- Drawing upon own lived experience as appropriate to inform the delivery of person-centred support.
- Providing immediate advice and information to clients to support with crisis presentations.
- To support individuals both through telephone support (helpline) and face to face support (crisis café).
- Liaising with Nightlight management and external services e.g. police, ambulance service, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Single Point of Access, Safeguarding Out of Hours Service, Mental Health Liaison Teams, Adult Community Mental Health Services etc .as needed in terms of accepting referrals and proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitating appropriate support.
- Completing appropriate signposting/onward referrals to both internal and external services in accordance with identified needs and risks.
- Supporting clients with making drinks and beverages as needed when visiting the crisis café.
- Assisting with housing keeping/cleaning tasks as necessary and reporting any maintenance problems.
- Contributing to the co-development of the service by supporting service user, family and carer involvement by obtaining feedback and supporting where necessary chances to be involved in wider service reviews.
We offer:
- Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 29 days after 5 years employment (plus 8 days Bank Holidays)
- An additional day of leave each year for your birthday following completion of probation period.
- Ongoing training relevant to your role.
- An Employee Assistance Programme.
- Health cover (after 6 months employment) – compensation payment for Optical, Dental, Chiropody and Therapy Treatments.
Closing date for receipt of applications is 6th May 2024
Interviews shall take place the week commencing 6th May 2024.
Please note: We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if sufficient applications are received so would encourage early applications.
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.
Equal Opportunities
We welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation. In addition, during the various stages of recruitment, specific measures can be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities or special needs.
Hertfordshire Mind Network is committed to the Disability Confident and Mindful Employer charters. We actively recruit staff who have a lived experience of mental ill health. We recognise and value the unique combination of skills, knowledge and perspective that employing people with a lived experience, at all levels across the organisation, brings. We create an environment where the sharing of experiences and vulnerabilities to support others and create positive change is welcomed and work towards breaking down the ‘them’ and ‘us’ culture. The organisation is committed to nurturing peer relationships that allow all staff to thrive.
We are delighted to have been accredited as a Living Wage Employer.
No agencies please.
Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.
We value diversity and aim to have diverse workforce that reflects the community and our service users, in line with our vision, values and inclusion commitments. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.
The PG Dip CAPNiP programme is an exciting distance learning programme from Anna Freud and UCL. The programme is targeted towards professionals working with children and young people, to support their understanding and application of the latest psychological research and practice to their working lives. The programme is delivered entirely remotely to the global cohort, using a range of online learning tools and strategies to support networking and connection amongst students; it brings together a diverse range of views and expertise from academics, experts by experience and clinicians, to support students understanding of a range of topics relevant to the wellbeing of young people.
The programme holds a particular focus on trauma and trauma-informed practice, including a specialist module on working with the impact of trauma, and on trauma-informed practice in education. The programme runs for one year full-time, or two years part-time.
More details about the programme are available to view on our website.
The PG Dip CAPNiP programme started running in September 2023, and the post-holder will therefore have the opportunity to contribute to the programme at an exciting point in its development. We have a brilliant global group of students, who are working across countries and cultures to support children, young people and their families. The programme team are a welcoming group, united in their commitment to supporting the dissemination of psychological and neuroscientific principles with a diverse student group.
Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor licence therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.
Location
The role can be undertaken remotely, due to the remote learning model of the programme and seminar delivery.
Contract duration
Permanent
Closing date for applications
Midday (12pm), Monday 13 May 2024.
Notification of interview
Shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Wednesday 15 May 2024. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Interviews
Interviews will likely be held on Tuesday 21 May 2024.
How to apply
Please visit our Careers page to register and apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.