Job Introduction

Please Note: A Full UK Driving License and Access to a Vehicle is an Essential Requirement. 

Part Time: 14.8 Hours Per Week / 2 Days Per Week (Which days negotiated at interview) 

Location: Somerset Countywide (Taunton or Yeovil Based) 

Do you want to help build a brighter future for communities and individuals in Somerset doing a highly rewarding job. Turning Point’s mental health treatment requirement service are currently expanding during a really exciting time in the sector with new funding and investment. We have a range of roles for people passionate about supporting others to make change.

We have roles in different teams including:

• Community based treatment services: providing assessment, coordinating treatment and working partnership to support individuals. The roles include delivering structured psycho-social interventions in group and one to level to enable our service users to acquire thinking skills and behaviours to make lasting change.
• Homeless outreach provision: Targeting homeless individuals, offering a flexible and outreach response to highly vulnerable individuals sleeping rough or living in temporary accommodation
• Criminal Justice rehabilitation/recovery services:  working closely with the Probation Services, Prisons and Police to provide a rapid, tailored response to individuals that support their recovery and rehabilitation

As a Peer Support Worker we offer a starting salary of £22,284 rising each year in line with our pay progression salary bands, rising to £25,550 per year (Pro-Rata). (Dependent on experience you may be offered a starting salary above the initial starting salary).

You will have opportunities to progress your career with a structured learning journey and clearly defined career pathways that will enable you to achieve your long-term goals and work to your strengths.

Whether you are looking to progress into a Recovery Worker role or to be a specialist in your field as an Advanced Substance Use Practitioner at Turning point we will support and encourage you on your career journey.

Role Responsibility

As a Peer Support Worker we are looking for a new colleague with a passion to support individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues. Your role will be to work alongside Turning Point senior assistant psychologists and assistant psychologists to support service users to access person centred support and navigate the different opportunities for support available to them across the treatment and housing system.

Peer Support Workers act as ‘advocates, mentors and coaches’ to service users supporting them to succeed in their chosen goals around treatment. The role includes maintaining regular contact with your clients, offering advice, information as well as supporting service users to access support in the community utilising lived experience to provide hope, inspiration and support. No day is the same in this role but an ability to communicate effectively with a range or service users and colleagues, an ability to manage different tasks and a commitment to Turning Point values are essential. As a Peer Support worker you yourself will have lived experience around the issues experienced by our service users, you may come with experience supporting people in health and social care or just have a keen interest in supporting this group; if your values are right, we have a role for everyone.

The Ideal Candidate

You’ll have an understanding of mental health, substance and alcohol use and the challenges and opportunities for individuals on a recovery journey. However, we also recognise that many people have transferrable skills from other backgrounds such as mental health, housing or other health and social care provision. The roles are varied, so flexibility, an ability to work dynamically on a one to one and group basis and knowledge of relapse and other barriers to recovery will be useful but we can help to shape these skills where needed. We also look for candidates with excellent communication skills and who share our values as an organisation. This role is specifically aimed at people with lived experience and an excellent role for those wishing to progress from voluntary roles as a peer mentor or looking to develop in a career in substance use.

We value individual creativity and initiative and, whatever your role, you will be fully involved in identifying opportunities to improve the quality of our services and the service user experience. Your ideas will be listened to and your suggestions implemented wherever possible. You will be supported in your role by extensive training to help develop your skills. Our learning culture encourages everyone to stay on top of the latest developments in their field and helps drive service improvement.

About us

As a leading health and social care provider with more than 300 locations across England, we take real pride in the services we offer.

We run all of our services on a not-for-profit basis; instead, we invest every penny back into our services and people. We never stop believing in change for the better, and we work constantly to improve the lives of the people we support.

What Benefits Will I Receive?

We know reward looks different to each person and so whether its ways to make your money go further, a culture supporting recognition and celebration, or opportunities to boost your career – we want to support you in every way we can with our total reward package that includes:

• 25 days’ paid holiday a year + Bank Holidays, increasing with each year of service up to 27 days + Bank Holidays. Plus the option to buy additional holidays and spread the cost.
• Join our team and discover the comprehensive benefits we offer by following this link to explore all the exciting perks available to our employees. Turning Point Benefits

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closing date.

Turning Point