Peer Supporter

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) are recruiting for a Peer Supporter to work within their eating disorders service based between Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary and Walkergate Park Hospital in Newcastle

The Peer Supporter role is a vital part of our plan to continually improve the services that we provide. The roles are aimed at people with personal lived experience and/or experience of caring for someone, who has lived with an eating disorder.

The principal role of the posts will be to support service users or carers throughout their journey through our services, to establish greater control over their lives and decisions, and build resilience during their care and treatment.

This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a Clinical Team, utilising your personal experience to inspire people through their own recovery journey. The roles focus on creating trusting relationships whilst supporting service users (and/or carers) in their journey of recovery.

Please ensure to view the attached job Descriptor document.

Main duties of the job

The principal role of the post holder will be to support service users by developing mutual peer relationships based on their own lived experience, in some services this principal role may relate to carers.

A key feature of the post will be the person's unique lived experience of eating disorder services and their recovery (and / or of supporting someone in a caring capacity) and how the wisdom that comes with this can support others on their personal journey.

The majority of the post holder's time will be devoted to having direct contact with service users, mainly on a one to one basis but at times in group settings.

They will support service users to identify aspects of life that give meaning, hope, value and purpose whilst recognising that each individual's wellbeing is distinctive and deeply personal, conversations may include reference to their own recovery journey.

They will support staff to identify, understand and respect aspects of life that give meaning, hope, value and purpose to service users and / or carers, creating an awareness in staff of the key role that service user's experience may play in their identity and how it influences their wellbeing.