10 Mental health peer mentoring worker jobs in East of England

The Community Support Worker will provide direct, practical and person-centered support to mentees approaching release from prison and after release into the community. Working under the direction of the Project Manager, the post-holder will help mentees identify priorities, develop and progress action plans, access appropriate services and maintain engagement during a period of significant transition.

This is a front-line resettlement and community support role. The post-holder will work alongside mentees, volunteer mentors, prison and probation colleagues and community services to reduce barriers to stability, support safe mentoring relationships and help mentees progress towards realistic goals.

The role requires someone who can build trust while maintaining clear professional boundaries, work confidently across prison and community settings, manage a varied caseload, respond proactively to changing needs and escalate safeguarding or risk concerns appropriately.

Key relationships

· Project Manager and Service Delivery Director.

· Other Trailblazers staff and project colleagues.

· Volunteer mentors and prospective volunteers.

· Mentees and, where appropriate, family members or other community support networks.

· Prison staff, including resettlement, offender management and other relevant departments.

· Probation practitioners and other statutory services.

· Community organisations, accommodation providers, DWP / Jobcentre Plus, employers, education and training providers, health and substance misuse services and other local partners.

Do you want to support people with mental health issues in a moment of crisis?

Are you calm, non-judgemental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?

If you can embody our values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness, and Responsiveness, and want to help others build resilience and manage their wellbeing, we’d love to hear from you.

Peer Support Worker
Reference: 354
Responsible to: Peer Support Team Lead
Working hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £25,233 per annum
Based: Herts Countywide travel required, depending on client need and waiting lists, with a focus on Waltham Cross and East Herts.

Another exciting role has become available within our Peer Support Service.

About the Peer Support Services

Our Peer Support Service started 14 years ago, Since then, we have seen our service grow and we now offer Peer Support across the whole of Hertfordshire. Peer Support is the key service most requested by people and we now offer this in all of our 7 Wellbeing Centres across Hertfordshire. HMN’s values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness and Responsive form the basis of all the work we do.

Hertfordshire Mind Network provide a range of training opportunities, including our Peer Support Academy. Working in co-production with clients, staff, volunteers and stakeholders, we were able to create our own Peer Support Charter Values and these values form the ethos we work within our peer support team and the 2 academy courses we run which are: The Foundations of Peer Support and Supporting Others in a Peer Way.

About the Role

The Peer Support service provide tailored, personalised support for someone’s individual needs. This includes using different tools and techniques to help an individual improve areas of their life they may be struggling with. This approach includes; Hope, Courage, Togetherness and Responsive. Peer Support is based on the recognition that there is no better person to support the path towards recovery, than someone who has walked a similar path as that person.

As a Peer Support Worker you will:

• Offer 1-1 peer support in Letchworth and within other HMN Wellbeing Centres across the County depending on client need and waiting lists
• You will help co-facilitate our online Peer Support Group
• Meet client need and work within this personalised approach
• Work with clients in the community, within their home, as well as in one of our Wellbeing Centres
• Support clients in a peer support way
• Play an integral role in instilling HMN’s values through our 1-1 and group support
• Play a key part in the development and delivery of our groups
• Always ensure the delivery of quality services

The successful candidate will have need a personal understanding (lived experience) of mental health needs, or cared for someone who did, a great understanding and proven skills of delivering mental health services, proven skills around working with adults with mental health needs and significant proven knowledge of models and services to meet the needs of adults with mental health needs.

We offer:

• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 28 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.

Being able to drive and having access to your own vehicle (or equivalent) is essential for this role.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 16 September 2026.
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 22 September 2026 at our Watford Wellbeing Centre.  Applicants will be notified of an interview time if shortlisted.
Please note: Due to high numbers of expected applicants, we may close this advert early.
N.B. Please quote reference number 354 when completing your application for this role.

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.

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. Our inclusive approach recognises the unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that lived experience brings to our team.

No agencies please.

Do you want to support people with mental health issues in a moment of crisis?

Are you calm, non-judgemental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?

If you can embody our values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness, and Responsiveness, and want to help others build resilience and manage their wellbeing, we’d love to hear from you.

Peer Support Worker
Reference: 355
Responsible to: Senior Centre Support Worker – Social Support
Working hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: 1 year fixed (subject to extension)
Salary: £25,233 per annum
Based: St Albans, Stevenage or Hatfield

About the Service

The Social Support service delivers flexible and person-centred support across our Wellbeing Centres in St Albans, Hatfield, and Stevenage. The service is designed to respond to the individual needs of clients, supporting people to improve their wellbeing, build confidence, reduce feelings of isolation, and access community services and resources.

About the Role

The role involves managing a one-to-one client caseload while contributing to the delivery of Social Support Groups. Through personalised support, the post holder will offer emotional support and empower individuals to focus on what matters most to them, working towards meaningful and achievable changes in in their lives.

As a Peer Support Worker you will:

• Offer 1-1 support in St Albans, Hatfield and Stevenage, and within other HMN Wellbeing Centres across the County depending on client need and waiting lists
• Deliver Social Support Groups within our Wellbeing Centres
• Work with clients to identify their individual needs and support them through a personalised, person-centred approach
• Support clients in a variety of settings, including within the community, their home, and our Wellbeing Centres
• Play an integral role in embedding HMN’s values through our 1-1 and group support
• Play a key part in the development and delivery of our groups
• Ensure the consistent delivery of a high quality, responsive service that promotes wellbeing and positive outcomes for clients

The successful candidate will have a great understanding and proven skills of delivering mental health services, proven skills around working with adults with mental health needs, an understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and Significant proven knowledge of models and services to meet the needs of adults with mental health needs. They will also have experience of working in both group settings and 1:1 and creating and reviewing dynamic risk assessments and support plans.

We offer:

• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 28 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.

Being able to drive and having access to your own vehicle (or equivalent) is essential for this role.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 4th September 2026.
Interviews will be held at our St Albans Wellbeing Centre on 24th and 25th September 2026.
Please note: Due to high numbers of expected applicants, we may close this advert early.
N.B. Please quote reference number 355 when completing your application for this role.

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.

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. Our inclusive approach recognises the unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that lived experience brings to our team.

No agencies please.

Overview

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives. Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold’ and our teams apply these daily, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Our NMP’s are integral members of our multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams, delivering recovery orientated alcohol and drug intervention services. Offering care for presenting clients, prescribing and/or making amendments to prescriptions of opiate and/or alcohol substitute treatments and other related medications, they take a lead role in developing the prescribing clinic, acting as a point of contact for other workers and partner agencies around prescribing issues.

Where: Tower Hamlets London

Hours: 37.5h per week

Contract: Fixed term until 23rd October 2027

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

About the role: 

• Assess, diagnose, plan; implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for service users
• Prescribe and review medication for therapeutic effectiveness appropriate to service user needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and local protocols, and within scope of practice
• Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the service user in complex, urgent or emergency situations seeking immediate advice and direction from the Clinical Lead if needed
• Assess, update, and refer service users for BBV vaccination and immunisation programmes. Support service users to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles
• Communicate effectively with service users and carers, anticipating barriers to communication and recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
• Maintain effective communication within the organisational environment and with external stakeholders, acting as an advocate for service users and colleagues where necessary
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking, and formal evaluation. Be actively involved in the annual appraisal system
• One day a week late cover (12 - 8pm)

About you: 

• Qualified pharmacist with current GPhC registration and two years’s post qualification experience OR First level registered nurse with a current PIN AND three years post qualification experience
• Qualified Non-Medical Prescriber
• At least one year’s relevant and recent experience of working within substance misuse treatment
• Sound and demonstrable knowledge of harm reduction and health promotion interventions
• Ability to assess and recovery plan service users and formulate written reports as necessary
• Ability to communicate confidently and effectively, verbally and in writing
• Full driving licence and access to own transport, or ability to demonstrate easy movement between services, if necessary

What we will give to you: 

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service “Capped at 30 days”
• Flexible working arrangements
• Paid ‘Wellbeing’ hour each week along with a Employee Assist Programme
• Protected CPD time
• Free access to the RCNi learning platform
• Annual reimbursement of your NMC fee
• Contributory pension scheme
• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc. 

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

Direct applications only we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

A note about using AI in your application:

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 43 to 48 (£48,987.04 - £54,663.24)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

Inner London Weighting (£4,236.47)

Closing Date

15/9/2026

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.

The arts for mental health – peer support delivered creatively

Sound Minds is a user-led charity transforming lives through music, film and art. We are a thriving community bound together by creativity and a shared belief in mutual learning and peer support.

Main purposes of the job:

Sound Minds is recruiting a Head of Operations to join our team in Wandsworth.

The Head of Operations is a member of the senior leadership team at Sound Minds and leads the management and day-to-day operations of a vibrant community premises.

Sound Minds is in a period of review and consolidation, following growth of its programmes and having secured Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation status. The Head of Operations will further develop and implement robust systems to support this growth and the charity’s future aims.

The role leads on all operational, health and safety, premises, IT, systems, human resources, evaluation, and reporting activity. The Head of Operations manages the delivery of Sound Minds’ Peer Support service and will act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. They deputise for the CEO as required.

They will assist the CEO on maintaining key relationships with external stakeholders and external communications.

Sound Minds is a creative place, and the Head of Operations will need a passion for organisation and administration.

Salary: £42,833 per annum(pro rata) & 3% contribution to pension

Hours: 28 hours per week

This fixed term contract ends on 16th June 2030 and is renewable depending on funding.

Strong IT skills are essential for this role. You will be required to have a DBS (criminal records check) and satisfactory written references before starting.

The full job description and application pack are available from Sound Minds’ website.

Closing date: 10:00am, Monday 7th September 2026

First interviews: Friday 18th September 2026

Carer Support Team Lead

35 hours per week (5 days)

Actual salary £27,878

Office base: Harlow, Essex

Could you lead a team to achieve positive outcomes for family carers in West Essex?

We have an exciting management opportunity for a Carer Support Team Lead to join our team, supporting unpaid adult carers. This is a rewarding and varied role leading a team providing information, coaching and peer support for local carers, helping them navigate support systems, and to maintain their own health and wellbeing. You will mainly work in the community as well as from our offices or home.

You will have experience working with Carers, vulnerable or disadvantaged individuals, or working within health, social care, community or voluntary services. You will ideally have experience managing people to deliver high-quality services. Most importantly, you will be passionate about making a difference to the lives of local unpaid adult carers.

Action for Family Carers is a thriving Essex charity which for over 35 years has been providing support for Adult Carers and Young Carers – people with unpaid caring responsibilities for others. We are a Carers Trust Network Partner and hold the Excellence for Carers quality mark. We provide support including information, coaching, counselling, peer support, respite care, and Young Carer clubs across Essex, working within schools, GP practices and a variety of community settings.

Your responsibilities will include:

           Managing and leading an area team to achieve positive outcomes for carers

           Demonstrating the impact of the service through monitoring and evaluation

           Developing strong relationships with key local stakeholders

You will need to be:

   Proactive and solution focused

   Passionate about improving outcomes for local carer

   Strong team player with a collaborative approach to working

   An excellent communicator with empathy and active listening skills.

   Confident in the use of IT including Microsoft 365 and CRMs (databases).

   A driver with access to a vehicle and a willingness to travel across Essex.

We offer:

Full induction and relevant training

 Contributory pension scheme

 24-hour Confidential Staff Helpline

An opportunity to help vulnerable families in the local community

A chance to be part of a supportive and friendly team

 Closing date for completed applications: 5pm on 22 September 2026

 For an informal conversation about the role please contact Leesa McKay on 0300 770 80 90.

 Action for Family Carers is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from all sections of the community.

Registered Charity No: 1127164

About the role:

• Support individuals through the transition into adult integrated services

• Support individuals through the transition in to paid employment and/or relevant training, education or occupation/diversionary activities that can best support there ongoing needs

• Deliver a range of treatment interventions to the clients utilising a child and young person centric approach guided by the 10 key policy principles of working with children and young people.  This may include both individual and group based client work.

• Carry out triage/screening assessments where appropriate

• Work flexibly and in a holistic way to promote harm reduction.

• Devise, implement and review individual care plans with young people.

• Appropriately include parents/carers in the planning and delivery of support.

• Support a caseload of young people, delivering psychosocial interventions alongside basic counselling skills and motivational interviewing approaches.

• Actively develop relations with partner agencies ensuring robust referral protocols and care pathways are put into place for young people to receive substance misuse interventions and other appropriate support.

• Offer a flexible service across the local area in partnership with Health, Social Care, Criminal Justice and generic youth services.

About you:

• Considerable knowledge and experience of working in the substance misuse field.

• Considerable knowledge and experience of working with children and young people.

• Knowledge of issues facing young people today.

• Basic counselling and / or group work experience.

• Experience of undertaking comprehensive assessments and in implementing and reviewing individual care plans.

• An ability to maintain accurate and timely records.

• Understanding of professional accountability in relation to The Children Act 2004 and Every Child Matters 2004

What we will give to you:

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service “Capped at 30 days”.
• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme
• Contributory pension scheme
• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc.
• A friendly and supportive team culture
• Training, career development & progression opportunities
• Refer a Friend Scheme

Overview

Do you want to work for a caring organisation that believes in people?

Do you want to make a difference?

As a Young Persons Transitional Worker with Change Grow Live, you’ll work with people who use our services, helping them get to where they want to be.

We’re looking for a dedicated Young Person’s & Adults Recovery Transitions Worker to join our Newham Service. This role sits within our Young Persons team and focuses on supporting individuals aged up to 25 as they transition into adult services.

You will provide assessment, advice, care-planned treatment, and ongoing support to young people experiencing serious or complex substance-related issues. A key element of the role is coordinating transitions, both into adult treatment pathways and into meaningful education, employment, or training opportunities.

Importantly, this role will also support individuals who require help around ketamine use, offering tailored harm reduction advice, early intervention, and recovery-focused support as part of their care plan.

Location: Newham

Hours: Full time, 37.5 per week

Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT) is an East London charity supporting people affected by homelessness and addiction to rebuild their lives. We are looking for an experienced and inspiring Recovery Community & Therapeutic Service Manager to lead the development, delivery and continuous improvement of our Recovery Community and Therapeutic Service.

This is a part-time role working 28 hours per week and is fully onsite at our Shoreditch hub. There is some flexibility around how the hours are worked across the week, although ideally Friday will be included as a working day.

This is a key leadership role bringing together therapeutic support, aftercare, peer-led activity, volunteering, training and community engagement to create an integrated recovery journey. You will ensure that people accessing SCT's services have opportunities to strengthen their recovery capital, build supportive networks and progress towards greater independence and wellbeing.

Working closely with our Director of Services and colleagues across SCT, you will:

• Lead the ongoing development of SCT's Recovery Community and therapeutic offer.
• Oversee recovery-focused programmes, therapeutic interventions, aftercare and peer-led activities.
• Create meaningful opportunities for people with lived experience to shape services, volunteer, mentor and support others.
• Lead and develop staff, volunteers, peer mentors and facilitators, fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
• Build strong partnerships with commissioners, funders, treatment providers, housing and mental health services and other community organisations.
• Oversee service quality, budgets, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring services are safe, effective and demonstrate positive outcomes.
• Develop pathways into volunteering, employment, education and wider community engagement.

About you

We are looking for someone with significant experience of leading services within recovery, social care, community development, housing, health or a related field. You will have a strong understanding of addiction recovery and the challenges experienced by people affected by homelessness and multiple disadvantage.

You will be a confident and collaborative leader with experience of managing people, developing programmes, building partnerships and delivering measurable outcomes. You'll also bring strong organisational and communication skills, sound judgement and a genuine commitment to person-centred, trauma-informed and recovery-focused practice.

Above all, we're looking for someone who can inspire others, develop strong services and help create an environment in which people in recovery are active participants in their own community.

Location: SCT's Shoreditch hub, London E1
Hours: 28 hours per week, onsite, ideally including Friday as a working day

Please see the attached Job Description for full details of the role, responsibilities and criteria.

Job Title: Community Engagment Lead

Location: Lambeth, London
Salary: £25,107.11 per annum (Inclusive of London Weighting, which may not be applicable depending on your home location and any agreed permanent homeworking arrangement)
Contract type: Permanent, Part Time

Hours: 27 hours per week (days to be discussed)

The successful candidate will lead on mapping services in the Borough; forming partnerships with statutory and voluntary agencies based on identified needs of the service to enhance and extend multi-disciplinary knowledge available at and through the Gaia Centre.

The post holder will be responsible for managing relationships with partner agencies and coordinating co-locations within the Gaia service as well as negotiating for staff from the service to co-locate with partner agencies.

You will build capacity for a community response to meet the needs of survivors of VAWG by drawing on the expertise of other specialist and by-and-for service providers, such as those working with LGBTQ+ victim/survivors, disabled victim/survivors or victim/survivors of so-called ‘honor’-based violence in order to provide a wraparound support as part of a broader service offer.

The post holder will also support a team of the Peer Support Mentors and volunteers who will be leading on some practical aspects of individual and group support for survivors accessing the Gaia Centre.

The successful candidate will be skilled at working with a diverse range of audiences and will be adept at creating and developing new partnerships and pathways that contribute towards coordinated community response and improve the lives of survivors of domestic abuse and gender-based violence.

The post holder will also have experience of developing teams and supervising people.

This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Closing Date: 09:00am on 7 September 2026

Interview Date: 14 and 16 September 2026