Job Description

Do you have lived experience of mental health issues and are passionate about supporting others? Would you like to work as part of a team with like-minded individuals to provide peer support to group members?

We have the exciting opportunity for a Lived Experience Facilitator to join our team and support the delivery of the Service User Network (SUN) in Kent. SUN is a new initiative across the county, with Mind in Kent working with KMPT to co-facilitate groups for adults with Complex Emotional Difficulties.

As an expert by experience, you will play a vital role in empowering individuals we support to take steps forward in their recovery journey's.

So, if you are empathetic and supportive, with strong professional boundaries and have a willingness to share your lived experiences to support others, we would love to hear from you!

Please refer to the job description for full details of what the role entails.

Purpose of Post

This post is to support the delivery of the Service User Network (SUN) Model to adults with Complex Emotional Difficulties (CED), living in Canterbury and the Thanet areas. All post holders will have their own lived experience of mental health issues related to experiences CED, previously referred to as Personality Disorder. The project covers all of Kent and Medway and some variables may be subject to change.

Main duties of the post include weekly delivery of in-person, remote, and out of hours groups, facilitated in collaboration with a Clinical Facilitator.

The SUN Model

is supported by the following principles:

There will be a 'no wrong door' approach for people who self-identify as having complex emotional difficulties and will be able to self-refer without a CED diagnosis.

The SUN model moves away from a diagnosable illness criteria and towards a broader more inclusive understanding of emotional difficulties, managing distress, and how this can affect people's lives at different times.

There will be a KMPT Clinical Facilitator and a Lived Experience Facilitator with equal standing at each service delivery group. The Group clinical supervision by KMPT will be provided by an experienced Psychological Practitioner.

Service transformation of the SUN model will include development of the SUN model workforce as a team, ensuring continued professional development related to CED, as well as other relevant training to support a competence team.

The SUN team will work collaboratively to develop a Standard Operating Procedure as well as Memorandum of Understanding to ensure a one team approach, with clear processes and communication to support this.

The Resource and Support Plan (RASP) will be a personally owned tool of support to help prevent the client going into crisis, held centrally by the SUN team so they can effectively support the individual.

The SUN Model is not to replace interventions in the CED pathway, but there to complement it. Individuals will be able to access psychological therapies alongside using the SUN Model.

Fundamental to creating empowerment and engagement in the SUN model is the therapeutic community principle that the effectiveness of the service depends.

Structure of the Post

The SUN model service is delivered in partnership with KMPT, who will provide the clinical aspects of the model, including providing clinical supervision for all SUN Model staff.

Mind in Kent and Medway deliver the project collaboratively and focus on leading the lived experience element.

North Kent Mind will be your employer

and are leading on the contract overall.

It is very much a one team approach, with a delivery programme and operational group established to support this.

Lived Experience Facilitators are line managed and supervised by the Lived Experience Manager. They must be flexible to work in venues and community settings throughout Kent and Medway as specified. The role will be Monday - Friday and includes the facilitation of some out of hours groups on a rota basis, both in-person, and virtual.

This post will including specific SUN model and Peer Support training, which post holders will need to attend, engage with, and complete if they have not done so previously.

For the calculation of travel expenses, the East Kent Mind Office in Ramsgate shall be considered the base throughout and travel between home and another working venue can only be claimed insofar as it is in excess of the distance between home and base. All time in travel between venues is counted as time worked.

The post holder must be flexible to work some evenings and occasional Saturday's as necessary. The precise deployment of staff will be based on a rota pattern which will be pre-published every month.

The respective balance of the elements listed in this job description may change in accordance with the needs of North Kent Mind and local Mind's, as defined by the Head of Development and Lived Experience Manager. Contracted hours will be worked on an average weekly basis over a month rather than on a strict weekly basis. All North Kent Mind employees are responsible for their own admin, including the inputting of outcome monitoring data and the intake of new referrals. This may be subject to amendment.

This role is predominantly in-person, at times remote working may be agreed by the Lived Experience Manager.

A. DUTIES OF THE POST: SPECIFIC

These duties relate to this post only:

To co-deliver regular SUN groups in the community, both face to face and online, with a clinical facilitator.

To work in collaboration with the co-facilitator and the SUN members, within support groups, to:

o Promote peer support and reduce isolation.

o Improve the coping skills of its members.

o Reduce the number of crises that require urgent and unplanned responses from services.

o Facilitate access to other services and sources of support.

o Share and relate own lived experience to SUN members.

o To assist people in understanding their rights and choices within the service.

o To encourage and motivate people to take an active role in their own recovery.

o To positively promote and support the empowerment of our members.

To use own lived experience of mental health problems associated with a diagnosis, or symptoms, of personality disorder to support the development and knowledge of the service and wider services.

To follow the protocols and guidelines for effective working.

To take full responsibility for understanding and applying professional boundaries.

To contribute to ensuring that any potential risk is being constantly assessed within a culture of positive risk taking.

To contribute to team supervision and business meetings, information regarding the safety and wellbeing of the people who access the service.

To co-lead on different areas of the service on a rota basis, i.e., reporting, outreach, and member involvement.

To be responsible for keeping up to date with emails, updating outlook diary etc.

To cover admin when required; respond to phone call and email enquiries, set up group link etc.

To actively engage in weekly clinical supervision.

To actively engage in 1:1 check-ins and managerial supervisions.

To undertake all the required training in line with the development of the post and as agreed with both your line manager and the programme team for SUN.

To attend and contribute to additional service development meetings as required.

To assist in the promotion of the service through active liaison, meetings, and presentations with people who access services, staff, and other organisations.

To comply with all relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Any additional tasks as identified by the Lived Experience Manager/host.

At times this role may be required to cover for groups in other areas

B : DUTIES OF THE POST: GENERAL

These duties apply to all North Kent Mind Staff, whichever service they work for:

1. To work within a framework which:

Abides by all the policies of North Kent Mind, including Equal Opportunities, Confidentiality and Health and Safety.

Promotes Social Inclusion, Empowerment, Well-being, and the Recovery Model

Respects, encourages, and builds on individual clients' coping strategies, skills, and autonomy, and is in keeping with the Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers as defined by the General Social Care Workers

Maintains good liaison with any other outside agencies as is necessary

Promotes good joint working, links, and cross-referral with all North Kent Mind colleagues.

Adheres to the principles of the Social Care Standards as defined by the GCSI

2. To participate in supervision and appraisal

3. To attend staff meetings and team meetings

4. To attend training/meetings and some annual events as required

5. To adhere to the procedures of the host Mind

C: DUTIES OF THE POST: COMMON

These duties apply to all project staff.

Embed peer support, empowerment, and coproduction into the service Efficient facilitation of outcome monitoring systems and inputting of outcome data. Set-up venues prior to a group work starting and clearing up at the end of the session. Facilitating, planning, and arranging group work as informed through consultation with participants, SUN Model team, Lived Experience Manager, and with prior preparation of materials as required. To make timely and effective interventions if, and when required to deal appropriately with any crises or incidents which occur. Communicate and liaise with the Lived Experience Manager, or SMT in their absence. Welcoming new service users within timelines, and proactively follow-up on any non-engagement. Develop a broad knowledge of local services and their systems to support Service User pathways and information. Ensuring service-users are aware of, and abide by, the Code of Conduct in group work. Working collaboratively with KMPT SUN Model staff. Maintaining excellent communication and working closely with local Mind staff.
To apply, please complete the online application by 30th December.

Applications will be assessed upon receipt and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date. An early application is therefore strongly advised.

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 3 months

Pay: 24,772.00 per year

Benefits:

Bereavement leave Company pension Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person