Wellbeing
Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service Peer Support Group Worker
Part time - Temporary 1 year
Key Terms and Conditions of Employment
Job Title:Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service Peer Support Group Worker
Service:Wellbeing service
Hours:22.5 hours per week, some evening and weekend work is required
Grade:NJC Scale 5 point 22 to 25
Salary Range:£20,456 to £22,434 (pro rata)
Location:Office base at Clarence House, 11 Clarence Rd
Horsforth, LS18 4LB and city centre (currently Oxford Place). Group delivery and our reach work at various locations across the city
Responsible to:Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service Family Support worker.
Annual leave:28 days + 8 statutory (pro rata)
Pension:Pension based on 3% contributory pension enhanced by salary exchange
Probationary Period:All posts are subject to a six month probationary period.
January 2017
Leeds Mind Job Description
Peer Support Group Worker: Leeds Suicide
Bereavement Service
Background Information
Leeds City Council has provided funding for three years to develop a ‘Postvention’ service in Leeds to support people bereaved by suicide (Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service). This is a partnership project with Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service. The project supports people in the immediate aftermath of a suicide and people who have been bereaved in the past. Postvention is an internationally evidenced way of reducing risk of suicide in people who have been bereaved in this manner. Interventions offered within this service include peer led support for individuals, within groups and for families with children, counselling and memorial events.
Purpose of the post
We have a vacancy for one year for a peer support group worker within the Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of skills courses (Living with my Loss), weekly/fortnightly peer support groups, monthly drop in sessions and for the organisation of biennial memorial events. The post holder will work closely with the individual and family support workers, but will manage their own workload, prioritizing tasks and working on their own initiative.
Main duties and responsibilities
Gateway meetings
- To provide up to two gateway meetings a week for new people who have self referred in to the service.
Facilitation of Peer-led groups
- To facilitate and develop a range of peer support group, including:-
- Six week skills course (Living with my Loss)
- Monthly drop in (evening)
- Fortnightly peer support group
- Identify, recruit, train and support new volunteer facilitators
- Ensure volunteer support group facilitators are well supported and feel valued in their role
- Ensure there are progression opportunities for volunteers and group members
- Make referrals to other services on behalf of people you are supporting.
Promotion, Outreach and Liaison
1)To work in partnership with colleagues in the LSBS to make links with potential referrers and to promote the service.
2)To attend the Leeds Suicide Prevention Strategy Group and report on the work as requested.
3)To represent LSBS and Leeds Mindat other external forums and events as requested.
Monitoring and Evaluation
1)To contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the project.
2)To encourage people you are supporting to complete questionnaires and reviews to ensure the project is compassionate, respectful and effective.
3)To write regular reports of the work as requested.
Training & Development
- Participate in 1:1s, performance management and development, staff development and training, including Leeds Mind compulsory training programme
- Take responsibility for personal/professional learning and development.
Organisation
- Attend and participate in team meetings
- Be involved with wider organisation activities
- Work within Leeds Mind Health and Safety Policies to ensure a safe working environment for staff, volunteers and students
- Promote the possibilities for empowerment where possible
- Ensure information is dealt with in accordance with policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data
- Work within the framework of Leeds Mind’s policies and procedures at all times
- Promote the values, ethos and philosophy of Leeds Mind at all times
- Any other duties commensurate to the effective running of the service
It is our policy to make reasonable adjustments to enable workers with disabilities to undertake the above tasks.
January 2017
Person Specification
Peer Support Group Worker: Leeds Suicide
Bereavement Service
Experience
1)Personal experience of being bereaved by a suicideE
2)Personal experience of emotional distressE
3)Experience of facilitation of peer led groupsE
4)Experience of working as part of a teamE
5)Experience of undertaking outreach and liaison work to promote a serviceD
6)Experience of undertaking monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate a
project’s effectivenessD
7)Experience of using mental health servicesD
Skills and abilities
1)The ability to work effectively with people who have experienced traumatic
griefE
2)The ability to work calmly with people who have suicidal thoughts and feelings
and to sensitively assess riskE
3)The ability to facilitate and deliver peer support groupsE
4)The ability to identify, recruit, train and support volunteer facilitatorsE
5)The ability to facilitate choice amongst people using our service,
including personal responsibility and participation in decision making about
the kind of support they receiveE
6)The ability to refer to appropriate services and liaise effectively with
professionalsE
7)The ability to reflect on your own attitudes towards mental health and your
own practiceE
8)The ability to work as part of a team and to provide support to colleaguesE
Knowledge
1)In depth understanding of the impact of being bereaved by suicideE
2)Knowledge of theories and models of grief
3)An understanding of the principles, philosophy and practical applications
of the Peer SupportE
4)Knowledge and awareness of your own support needs
January 2017
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