Peer Support Practitioner

Job overview
Are you looking for an exciting and dynamic role where you can use your own life experience to benefit others? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a full time Peer Support Practitioner to join Liaison, Diversion & Reconnect (LD&R).
LD&R is a countywide service to Kent and Medway's Police custody suites, Courts, Prisons and the wider community. The aim of the service is to improve service user experience by connecting them with the right service at the right time - potentially reducing rates of reoffending and improving health and social care outcomes for the people that we serve.
We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants with personal experience of the criminal justice system and those that have experienced health/social vulnerabilities (for example: mental health issues, learning difficulties, drug/alcohol misuse, accommodation or financial challenges).
Successful candidate(s) will be able to use their life experience to support the engagement of others who may find themselves in familiar life circumstances.

Main duties of the job
Peer support practitioners complement the Trust's expertise with their own insight, experience and potential to support others. You will therefore need to be able to share your recovery journey to motivate and encourage others to reach their full potential.
Successful applicants will work alongside our team of practitioners in community support roles; however there will be the opportunity to work collaboratively with our assessment teams in police custody, courts and prison.
You will provide support and advice to service users, screening for any unmet needs to enhance their recovery journey. You will initiate and maintain communication with individuals during their time with LD&R, supporting them to find, engage and benefit from the correct community services to address their needs.
Suitable applicants must be in a positive position of wellbeing/recovery and motivated to take on a rewarding new opportunity.
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Working for our organisation
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.
Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
Our strategy
Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people
Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details of the main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Training

Desirable criteria

• NVQ level 2 or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria

• Lived experience of a vulnerability that LD&R currently identify, including but not limited to: mental health issues, learning difficulties, social care needs, drug/alcohol misuse, homelessness, financial or employment problems.
• Personal experience of using services that support wellbeing/recovery from the above vulnerabilities.

Desirable criteria

• Personal experience of contact with the criminal justice system i.e. police or courts.
• Experience of working or volunteering with people with similar vulnerabilities.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Good written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable criteria

• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook and the ability to use the RiO electronic records system, or be willing to undergo training.

KMPT Staff Benefits:
NHS pension scheme Your employer pays 23.7% towards your pension and life assurance benefits.
Please see Apply. Apply/Pensions.aspx for more details.
Annual leave for Agenda for Change On appointment to NHS
27 days for full time or pro rata if part time
After 5 years NHS service
29 days full time or pro rata if part time
After 10 years NHS service
33 days full time or pro rata if part time
Plus bank holidays, that's up to 41 days - more than 8 weeks paid time off!
Medical staffs have national Terms and Conditions.
Buying and selling of annual leave is also available as part of our flexible approach to staff benefits.
Recommend a friend campaign If you already work for us you could refer a friend from outside of the Trust to any of the roles below and you can receive £1000 if they are successfully recruited; Nursing staff - RMN RGN RNLD - Band 5 and 6, Medical Doctors, Clinical Psychologist and Allied Health Professionals,
Flexible working Covers job share, term time working, flexible shifts etc. Just ask and we will try to help.
Statutory and occupational maternity, paternity or adoption leave Dependant on length of NHS service
Other paid/unpaid leave This can be for Jury Service, Reserved Armed Forces, etc. This is paid outside of annual leave.
Non paid leave for career breaks
Staff Support KMPT offers a face to face counselling service for any issues not just work related problems.
NHS discounts and shopping vouchers Staff can sign up for Red Guava, PS discounts and Health Service Discounts to receive a variety of discounts in travel, fashion, technology, mobile phone contracts, food and drink, days out etc.
Learning and Development opportunities In addition to the mandatory subjects there are a number of leadership, management and staff topic areas, including coaching and mentoring.
Induction
KMPT is committed to supporting all new staff and this includes a comprehensive Induction programme. The programme's duration depends on role and can be from 2 days to 4 weeks (not always consecutive days).
The Induction programme will provide a