Autism Peer Support Worker: Sponsorship

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Job Overview:

  • The Transforming Care in Autism (TCA) service was developed to meet the needs of autistic individuals at risk of admission to, or within, mainstream mental health services.
  • An exciting new opportunity has arisen for autistic peer support workers to be part of the Transforming Care in Autism (TCA) team. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, compassionate, positive thinking and self-motivated individual with lived experience of autism. This may include some lived experience of mental health problems and recovery. The primary role is to provide caring and non-judgemental support to autistic individuals experiencing mental health challenges. The role will also involve providing training to staff and carers to impart knowledge and skills to support autistic service users.
  • The successful candidate will have completed an accredited Peer Worker training course or be willing to complete training shortly after starting their role. They will be a member of a multidisciplinary team, working alongside autism-specialists and mental health professionals.
  • Peer Support Workers will be fully supported in their role through regular 1 to 1 supervision within the team line management structure and have access to monthly peer mentoring and weekly online group supervision.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities:

  • To use lived experience to inspire hope that change is possible.
  • To share lived experience safely and effectively.
  • To share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery or times when you have experience behaviours that have been challenging and how you overcome this challenge.
  • To work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths of the person.
  • To use a number of agreed recovery tools that are person-centred in a flexible way to support the service users.
  • To support the service users to understand the role of autism and mental health services and how they can support their treatment alongside other community resources.
  • To record information in a clear and accessible way.
  • To promote service users involvement in all aspects of their work.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Personal experience of autism and mental health difficulties and recovery
  • Experience of using autism and mental health services (for example a community mental health team / promoting recovery team, home treatment team, inpatient stay, emergency department, talking therapies, etc)
  • Willing to positively share your own life experiences, with service users, carers, and colleagues
  • Experience of working or volunteering with autistic people and mental health difficulties (paid or voluntary)

Desirable

  • Experience of delivering peer support services
  • An interest in developing a career in mental health care
  • Personal experience of an inpatient admission to a mental health unit

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to GCSE or equivalent level/or evidence of competency specifically in English and Maths.
  • Lived Experience / Peer Support Training (or willing to complete)
  • Commitment to obtain further underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training
  • Evidence of ongoing personal development

Desirable

  • Experience of Recovery College courses
  • Evidence of previous teaching and training experience
  • Other evidence of relevant training

Knowledge / Skills

Essential

  • Able to demonstrate an understanding of the Values of Peer Support
  • To be able to share lived experience in way that is safe and useful
  • Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and patience
  • Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service users

Desirable

  • Ability to speak other languages
  • Awareness of complementary support services
  • Basic knowledge of psychological and therapeutic interventions (CBT, DBT, MBT etc.)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 21 April 2025

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.