Mental Health Peer Mentoring Worker Jobs in Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) Peer Mentor Advert
Fixed term contract until 31st March 2026 – linked to funding
Full time – 37.5 hours per week
Salary Grade 1.1 - £24,102 per annum
Have you experienced mental health issues? Are you an ex-offender? Would you like to use your experience to help others turn their lives around? We have a paid vacancy for someone to join us as a Peer Mentor and gain experience working with a leading provider of homelessness and housing advice and support while inspiring and motivating others in their own recovery.
About the Peer Mentor Service
Shelter is delivering a Peer Mentor Service in partnership with the Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) within Birmingham and Solihull’s Mental Health Foundation Trust. The FIRST service is a comprehensive recovery focussed multi-disciplinary team addressing the individual needs of our service users through tailored packages of care. It includes Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Support Workers, Peer Mentors, Substance Use workers and Social Workers. Each service user will have an allocated Care Coordinator and Responsible Clinician who monitor, and review care and support needs and interventions.
The Peer Mentor role will engage with clients on the ward and within the community - with a primary focus on supporting clients with their transition away from staying on the ward to living in the community. The Peer Mentor service’s aim is to help people with multiple and complex needs to enhance the support available through the FIRST Pathway.
About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
About the role
As a Peer Mentor, you'll support people with mental health concerns who are looking to create sustainable lives in the community by improving engagement with services with a view to sustaining wellbeing and reducing reoffending. Your own experiences will be invaluable as you engage with and motivate individuals to set goals around their recovery. This will include building a relationship of trust with individuals and understanding the importance of empowering them to make their own choices. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to access personal support to develop new skills and improve your self-confidence to do the job.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
About you
We’re looking for people who have had mental health issues, are ex-offenders or who have been through the criminal justice system. Lived Experience of homelessness and substance use is useful but not essential. You’ll need to have accessed support services, have an understanding of how these experiences have affected you and be able to tap into these experiences to identify gaps in services and barriers to recovery and how things can be improved. You’ll need to have been stable for at least 18 months and be willing to share details of your successful journey with others to help them. You will be looking to go into a career supporting vulnerable adults and this will be a great opportunity to gain experience. Basic computer skills will be needed, as well as the interest to develop and learn new skills.
*Offers of employment are subject to Risk Assessment, Enhanced DBS, Proof of Right to work and two references being satisfactory to Shelter.
*Evidence of/ or willingness to receive the below vaccinations are a requirement of this post:
· Tetanus
· Diphtheria
· Polio
· MMR
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, childcare vouchers, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
If anyone would like further information about this position, Shelter in partnership with FIRST will be holding an information session on 29th April at 11.00 am. To register your interest please see details on the job advert on Shelter's website.
Apply to be part of an exciting initiative and be the change you want to see in society.
Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
An exciting and rewarding opportunity has arisen to join our Aquarius service in Birmingham. The Youth Participation Worker will facilitate and develop a Youth steering group, support aftercare for young people leaving treatment, coordinate and facilitate diversionary activities to support young people and their families.
The post holder will develop and support delivery of all volunteer programmes inclusive of Peer Support and Peer Mentoring Programmes, to include the recruitment, placement and retention of volunteers/peer mentors. They will ensure that general service User participation and empowerment is implemented across the Service.
In addition, the post holder will:
- Actively recruit volunteers, peer mentors and facilitate Youth Steering group meetings.
- Work with the Senior practitioner & Team leader, to develop and implement a service user involvement strategy, including establishing and supporting a service user board.
- Develop and deliver volunteer, peer mentoring and service user involvement programmes in accordance with the Aquarius organisational framework.
- Support the delivery of aftercare provision.
- Assist colleagues with the coordination and delivery of diversionary activities.
- Keep accurate records and the necessary data for reporting and evaluation purposes.
- To provide written records and reports as required by the organisation.
- Be available to work days, evenings, and weekends when required, to meet the demands of the service and be willing to travel to various locations, as necessary.
An energetic and confident self-starter, you have a certificate in youth and community work e.g. NVQ Level 3 or above, DipSW, Mental Health Nursing, Counselling, Addiction Studies) or significant experience of working in a similar role with a commitment to complete NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care. As well as significant knowledge and experience of working with young people, you have knowledge of project planning and experience of working in the substance misuse sector. What’s more, you have a flexible approach, a commitment to the principles of confidentiality and excellent record keeping and Microsoft Office.
This is a permanent full-time role requiring the post holder to work 37 hours per week.
To apply, please visit our website and send a CV and covering letter explaining why you feel you are right for the role.
This is a rolling recruitment process. Candidates will be interviewed as and when they are shortlisted.
We are committed to increasing our diversity and we would welcome applications from those with lived experience and/or who are from a BAME background.
Aquarius is part of Recovery Focus, a national group of charities highly experienced in providing specialist support services to individuals and families living with the effects of mental ill health, drug and alcohol use, gambling and domestic violence. We know that recovery can look and feel very different to each and every one of us. But we also know that if we provide the right support, at the right time, we can inspire recovery nationwide and that recovery is possible for everyone