Could you inspire hope for people who are struggling with their mental health?
Second Step is a leading mental health charity in the Southwest offering housing, support and hope to people with mental health and support needs. Our vision is that we believe in a world where everyone affected by mental health problems can create a positive future. We promote mental health and wellbeing by supporting people and communities to build brighter futures.
We are recruiting a Lived Experience Coordinator to join our BSW Mental Health & Wellbeing Partnership that stretches across Wiltshire, Swindon and BANES. The Partnership consists of multiple mental health services that offers varying levels of support. Our Intensive Outreach Service supports individuals experiencing intensive mental health symptoms or crisis. The Access Community Mental Health Service works with people who often fall in the gap of primary and secondary care to engage in short-term, goal-directed support and linking in with the wider community. The Recovery College is new to the BSW area and offers courses and workshops relating to mental health recovery and is open to anyone who would like to attend. Further information is on our website: https://www.second-step.co.uk/banes-swindon-wiltshire/
About the role
The Lived Experience Coordinator role is a great opportunity for someone to champion the value of lived experience in the continuous development and improvement of services. The successful candidate will work alongside our services to support coproduction in services and hold the ‘golden thread’ of the lived experience voice in all the work we do.
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Establish Shaping Teaching and Responding (STAR) Teams for BSW Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership Services by identifying and recruiting members with lived experience and organising and facilitating group spaces.
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Work in an inclusive, equitable, culturally sensitive way for all colleagues and STAR Team members, challenging stigma, and discrimination, and ensuring up-to-date community knowledge. Recruit lived experience representatives with a range of needs e.g., from young people to older people, LGBTQ+ service users, disabled people and with people with a range of backgrounds and ethnicity, aiming to foster a sense of belonging for service users.
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Hold 1:1s with STAR members to positively support the individual’s recovery. You will have honest discussions around their needs and wellbeing, and support STAR members to be reflective in managing their mental health and recovery and personal growth.
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Support staff teams to develop and implement service specific improvement plans based on the principles of the 4Pi lived experience framework: ‘principles, purpose, presence, process and impact’ ? Support staff teams to identify current and former clients who may have an interest in becoming STAR members.
Full details of this exciting opportunity can be found in the role profile.
About you
You will:
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Have experience working to delivery of project work to time and standard.
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Knowledge and understanding of the care and support requirements of people with mental health needs.
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Experience of delivery user involvement strategies (or similar).
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Ability to communicate successfully with a wide range of people.
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Commitment to equality and diversity.
What we offer
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To be part of a friendly team, with direct support from a Senior Line Manager
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This is blended working opportunity with a requirement to be able to travel to offices across BSW as needed.
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Monthly one-to-one sessions with your line manager.
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Further standard benefits through Second Step.
About us
We are taking positive action to increase diversity throughout our organisation, and to nurture a culture of inclusion for all our people and the clients that we support.
We welcome applications from everyone who meets the criteria and strongly encourage individuals who identify as being of Black, African, Caribbean or Asian descent to apply as these groups are currently under-represented at Second Step.
To ensure fairness and consistency, all applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed so that shortlisting is based solely upon the suitability of the candidate’s skills and qualities.
Closing date: 11 September 2026
Interview dates: TBC
For more detailed information about these roles and to apply, please see our website www.second-step.co.uk. Second Step is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community and from people who have personal experience of using mental health services. Unfortunately, Second Step is unable to sponsor applicants from outside the UK.
The Company has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years. We have a vast number of employees, and provide support to clients from all over the country.
