JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Peer Support Worker - Liaison & Diversion
Reports To: Criminal Justice Team Leader
Employer: Red Rose Recovery Lancashire
Workington 1 x 15 hour post
Hours: Applicants are asked to indicate which location they would like and are able to apply for more than one and we can potentially combine posts to increase hours
Salary: £12.60 per hour (Real Living Wage)
Job Summary:
Red Rose Recovery has been commissioned to employ Peer Support Workers within Lancashire and South Cumbria’s Foundation Trust (LSCFT) Liaison and Diversion Teams across Lancashire and Cumbria.
The role of the Liaison & Diversion Peer Support Worker has been developed specifically for individuals who have lived experience within the criminal justice system. The Peer Support Worker uses their own unique, life-altering experience in order to guide and support vulnerable individuals who are in the criminal justice system, under the supervision of Liaison & Diversion practitioners within LSCFT. Peer Support Workers provide support from the perspective of someone who has first-hand experience, something that professionals cannot learn from training or education.
The role of the Peer Support worker is to help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful goals and set objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
The post holder will be responsible for providing short term support to vulnerable individuals upon leaving Custody or Court, where further support is required. The post holder will be responsible for working closely with the individual to prioritise need and plan actions to address identified needs. This may include supporting an individual to make a referral to a specific service and support the individual to attend the initial appointment with that service.
These services include, but are not limited to; Housing, Drug and Alcohol Services, Mental Health and Physical Health care and other services specific for Women, Veterans, Gambling. Police, Courts, Youth Offending Services, Probation, Prisons.
The aim of the intervention is to support and empower the individuals to reach identified goals and attend initial appointments with identified service. This will involve the individual in planning and prioritising their needs.
Key Responsibilities:
· To contact referrals and offer support relevant to their needs
· To work in accordance with all Liaison and Diversion and Red Rose Recovery policies and procedures.
· Ensure any safeguarding disclosures are dealt with appropriately and in accordance with policy.
· To support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.
· To facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.
· To accompany service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
· To build a relationship of trust with clients and to understand the importance of empowering them
· Be prepared to contribute own experiences to identify barriers and gaps in services
· Develop and maintain positive and professional relationships with clients
· Provide emotional and practical support and advice to enable clients to improve their quality of life, develop their skills and make decisions about their future. This may include:
o encouraging and motivating clients to engage with appropriate services
o accompanying clients to other projects and external appointments
o encouraging and supporting clients to participate in meaningful activities.
· To plan and manage own delegated workload on a day to day basis.
· Liaise with external agencies as required
· Maintain an effective reporting system by observing and reporting verbally and in writing on patient conditions
· To plan and manage own delegated workload on a day to day basis.
· To remain up to date and compliant with mandatory training requirements.
General:
· Ensure health and safety compliance at all times.
· To maintain confidentiality at all times.
· To adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.
· To establish and maintain a positive working relationship with service providers, commissioners,
stakeholders and other partner agencies.
· To undertake training as identified via personal development planning process.
· To undertake other duties commensurate to the grade of the post.
Vetting and Clearances:
· The post holder is expected to undergo Lancashire and/or Cumbria Constabulary Level 2 Vetting; failure to meet the required criteria will result in removal of either job offer or termination of post within L&D. Police vetting is an essential requirement for this post.
· The post holder is also expected to have Enhanced DBS clearance
· Any changes that may affect vetting clearance or DBS status will result in termination of post within L&D
The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give a broad flavour of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the post holder.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
CRITERIA
Description
Essential (E)/Desirable (D)
Experience
Lived experience of the criminal justice system - E
Experience of participation in service user involvement and consultation work - D
Experience of referral pathway into services - D
Experience of safeguarding - D
Knowledge
An understanding of the criminal justice system and identified vulnerabilities - E
The ability to work part of a team - E
To have an awareness of the Equality and Diversity and work across cultures - E
The ability and skill to form positive relationships, whilst maintaining professional boundaries - E
Support service users' own decision-making that empowers them to builds on their own strengths - E
Well developed verbal and written communication skills - E
Skill
Driving licence and access to a vehicle - D
Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook etc - E
Willingness to work flexibly - D
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - E
The ability to use electronic record keeping systems - D
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £13.45 per hour
Expected hours: 15 per week
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Private medical insurance
Work Location: In person
Reference ID: RRR L&D April 2025
