Ignite Volunteer Peer Support Mentor Our Place Community Hub, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham

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1 Date as Postmarked Reference: Ignite Volunteer Peer Support Mentor Thank you for your interest in the above post, please find the specific role requirements and duties for this post detailed within this document. When completing the application form you may submit additional documentation however we cannot accept a CV as a completed application. Please note the following: Once you have submitted or posted your application form allow 10 working days after the closing date for a response. As we do not notify applicants of an unsuccessful application, if no response has been received within this time, please accept this as confirmation that your application has been unsuccessful. Previously unsuccessful applicants cannot Please return the completed application form to Creative Support in the enclosed Freepost envelope or to Recruitment, 5th Floor, Head Office, 35 Dale Street, Manchester, M1 2HF. Due to our charitable organisational status all application forms submitted without use of the Freepost envelope must be done so using the correct postage amount. Creative Support cannot accept receipt of forms which carry a surcharge due to incorrect postage amounts. Closing Date : 23 May 2016 Yours faithfully Recruitment Department Encs: Application Form Philosophy Statement Additional Information Finalised: 24 February 2016 Finalised by: J. Wharton All candidates are subjected to enhanced DBS checks Page 1 of 5

2 ROLE DESCRIPTION IGNITE VOLUNTEER PEER SUPPORT MENTOR Hours: Responsible to: Volunteers will ideally be expected to commit to a minimum of 3 hours per week, although there is a degree of flexibility. This will discussed at the informal interview. Hayley Page Development Officer About the Service: Birmingham Hub and Spoke Services provide a recovery focused service for adults with mental health needs. The service has two hubs, one in the heart of Birmingham at Water Street (near Snow Hill station) and the other based in Northfield in South Birmingham. The hubs provide one to one support, social support and activities aimed at enhancing mental wellbeing. The service also provides a number of community based spokes at a number of city locations which have the aim of promoting social inclusion and acting as a bridge to our members accessing mainstream social activities and services. As part of the development of our services, we are launching Ignite - a service which is specifically tailored for the needs of year olds. This service will support young adults with mental ill health at a community spoke with their mental wellbeing, independent living skills and personal development. Purpose of the role The Peer Support Mentor will work in collaboration with the Recovery Hub and Spoke Service Team in providing support to individuals aged years recovering from mental illness. The Peer Support Mentor will be an individual who has experience of having lived with their own mental health condition and who has undertaken their own recovery journey. They are someone who will draw upon and use their own lived experiences of mental health to provide support to others as an integral part of the mental health workforce. The individual Peer Support Mentor will themselves have their own experiences of having had a mental health condition which they will be able to draw upon in a positive and educational way to help, assist and support others who themselves are commencing their own journey of recovery. The Peer Support Mentor will aim to improve the quality of life of the people they support, by promoting independence, community participation, stronger social relationships, a sense of purpose, skill building, education, employment and personal safety. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, the Peer Support Mentor will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. The Peer Support Mentor will also support new members within Ignite, be involved with delivering recovery workshops to their peers and will also be available for one-to-one meetings with peers if required. Page 2 of 5

3 ROLE DESCRIPTION IGNITE VOLUNTEER PEER SUPPORT MENTOR Volunteer Duties 1. To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users 2. Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals 3. Drawing on mutual resources with peers 4. Model personal responsibility, self- awareness, self-belief, self- advocacy and hopefulness via the telling of own recovery story to inspire and instil confidence in peers. 5. Share coping, self-help and self-management techniques 6. Develop a relationship of trust, honesty and empathy with service users 7. Support service users to identify and overcome fears 8. Encourage community participation and support this if possible 9. Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other peers, staff and external agencies 10. Work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual. 11. Report back to supervisor with any concerns about service users or possible safeguarding issues 12. Attend and complete 4 day Peer Support Specialist induction training 13. Undertaking further training as necessary 14. To identify personal development needs with supervisor Page 3 of 5

4 PERSON SPECIFICATION IGNITE VOLUNTEER PEER SUPPORT MENTOR QUALITIES REQUIRED Essential or Desirable? 1 To have lived experience of mental health Essential 2 To have experience of mental health recovery Essential 3 Ability to empathise with and relate to individuals aged years Essential 4 Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional manner Essential 5 Ability and willingness to reflect on work practice Essential 6 Ability to work in an enabling and creative way Essential 7 Understanding of recovery Essential 8 Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users Essential 9 Good communication skills Essential 10 Professional in appearance and behaviour Essential 11 A respectful, caring, person-centred approach Essential 12 Willingness to support people with a range of needs Essential 13 Willingness to work flexibly according to needs and preferences of service Essential users 14 Unconditional positive regard for others Essential Disclosure and Barring Service: A number of volunteer roles with Creative Support require applicants to undergo a DBS check, this is free. A criminal record does not necessarily bar an applicant from volunteering with us; each application will be considered individually, this might include inviting prospective volunteers in for a meeting with a representative from our Human Resources Department to discuss the criminal convictions. If we decide that a role is not appropriate for an applicant, this will be communicated with them and the reason will be explained. Page 4 of 5

5 How will I be supported in my role and my personal development? 1. Induction All volunteers are expected to attend some form of induction training. It will include information on Creative Support policies and procedures which are relevant for the role, organisational structures and contextual information, as well as information specific for the role. The induction will take place at an office/service close to your place of the volunteering 2. Support and Supervision Sessions Volunteers will have a nominated contact person/named supervisions who will take responsibility for all matters relating to their role. Regular structured supervision/support sessions, either one to one or as part of a group, will be held with the nominated staff member(s). These sessions will be documented in individual Volunteer Portfolio s. 3. Expenses Creative Support will refund volunteers any genuine out of pocket expenses incurred as a result of volunteering with Creative Support; this will normally be limited to travel expenses and expenses incurred while carrying out volunteer activities with clients. To claim expenses volunteers must submit valid receipts and all expenses should be agreed with a volunteers named supervisor before a claim is made. 4. Training Creative Support is committed to providing a range of training and personal development opportunities for volunteers. As an Investors in People (Silver Award) organisation, we provide an comprehensive training calendar that can be accessed by staff, people accessing our services and volunteers. Most roles will require volunteers to complete the following core training courses; Emergency First Aid Health and Safety Professional Boundaries and Code of Conduct Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children The training needs of volunteers will be identified by their nominated supervisor and documented in the Volunteer Portfolio. Volunteers will be offered places on wider training workshops delivered by Creative Support, which are deemed appropriate to their role and development. Training opportunities within the voluntary sector will be made available to volunteers and support with planning training and development will be provided during support/supervision sessions. 5. References Volunteers who have satisfactorily met the requirements of their placement for six months can ask the relevant Service Manager, or another senior member of staff, to provide them with a reference for prospective future employers. Page 5 of 5