Job Description

Job title:Engagement Officer, Mental Health lead – permanent

Location:Brixton, London with some travel

Reports to:Engagement Manager

Salary:£29,000 – 31,000per annum depending on skills and experience

Hours:37.5 hours per week

Benefits:26 days holiday plus bank holidays, pension contribution

Healthwatch Lambeth is the independent local ‘consumer champion’, set up to promote better outcomes in health and social care for people who live, work or use services in Lambeth. Our aim is to support equality, address inequalities and ensure services are appropriate for our diverse communities. We’re interested in people’s stories to gain an understanding of what works and what doesn’t work, to create a convincing evidence base from which to advocate for change.

We have a growing supporter list of more than 800people living, working and using health and social care services in Lambeth and robust partnerships with providers and commissioners of health and care services and Lambeth Adults Safeguarding Partnership Board.

Overview of the role:

This new role within our engagement team will ensure that people living with mental health concerns in Lambeth have an equal voice in the design and delivery of health and social care services in Lambeth.The post will also support our work on adult safeguarding. Working in partnership with many organisations across different sectors, the role will identify opportunities to engage people, gather their feedback and promote avenues for them to participate in shaping and improving health and care provision.

Purpose of the job:

  1. To engage with people using MH services in Lambeth and gather their views and experiences.
  1. To promote and facilitate opportunities for people to help shape mental health and care services.
  1. To lead community involvement and engagement work regardingsafeguardingexperiences of adults at-risk.
  1. To develop good organisational working relationships across the mental health and safeguarding sector(s) and borough.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Engage with and gather the views of people
  • Develop a good knowledge of the mental health sector particularly with respect to identifying gaps where public and patient voice is missing or could be improved, as well as an understanding as to whose voices need to be heard.
  • Plan and deliver targeted activities using appropriate methods to engage people across the borough, to gather views and experiences of using mental health and care services.This work will involve working with both adults, young people and children. To make a strong case, we would expect that our engagement work would also involve seeking the views and opinions of other important stakeholders such as the providers of services, families and carers.
  • Accurately record, analyse and report findings from our engagement work, identifying key themes of good practice and areas for improvement.
  • Actively monitor and evaluate the quality of the engagement work undertaken; seeking feedback regularly and looking for opportunities to learn and improve.
  • Embed this mental health engagement plan within the organisation’s broader engagement programme, in line with Healthwatch Lambeth’s strategic priorities and reflecting the diversity of the borough.
  1. Facilitate opportunities for people to shape health and care services
  • Identify opportunities for people to participate in shaping and improving mental health and care services in Lambeth.
  • Design and deliver activities to increase people’s capacity to take up these roles.
  1. Lead community engagement work on adult safeguarding
  • Build on the successes of our ‘Hidden Voices’ programme – where adults who have needed safeguarding were facilitated to share their feedback on the safeguarding service provided. This work is likely to involve exploring new models of listening to adults-at-risk.
  • Regularly attend and contribute to the Community Reference Sub-group of the Lambeth Adults Safeguarding Partnership Board.
  1. Develop good organisational relationships across the sector(s) and borough.
  • Facilitate channels of communication between Healthwatch Lambeth, local voluntary and community organisations and decision makers for mental health and social care services in Lambeth.
  • Develop relationships with statutory partners and local Healthwatch in other areas to share information, learning and good practice.
  • Keep up to date with local, regional and national developments in (mental) health and social care and safeguarding adults at-risk.

Working as part of Healthwatch:

  • Work with the Communications Officer to promote Healthwatch Lambeth to targeted community groups across Lambeth, using a variety of media.
  • Record feedback and performance on Healthwatch Lambeth systems, contribute to the analysis of feedback to inform the organisation’s influencing work, and write or contribute to reports as required.
  • Work as part of the wider Healthwatch Lambeth team, attending meetings and events as required.
  • Work in support of other colleagues in the organisation, as particular needs arise, as directed by the Chief Executive.
  • Undertake additional duties as requested by the Engagement Manager which further the aims and objectives of Healthwatch Lambeth.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisation.

Engagement Officer Person Specification

Experience / Essential / Desirable
Experience of working within the mental health and/or safeguarding sector(s) / X
Experience of creating and implementing engagement strategies/plans with a variety of groups i.e. service-users, carers, families, the wider public / X
Experience in building relationships with diverse community groups and community/voluntary organisations / X
Experience of undertaking service evaluation or small research projects / X
Experience of project management / X
Ability, Skills and Knowledge / Essential / Desirable
Ability to identify opportunities to reach new audiences / X
Ability to network effectively and build positive relationships with a range of stakeholders / X
Ability to work on own initiative, to prioritise and meet required deadlines and manage competing influences whilst prioritising the needs of the initiative / X
Understanding of participatory approaches and methods, and confidence in implementing activities to solicit feedback from groups and individuals / X
Knowledge and experience of research methodology, particularly for ‘soft intelligence’ / X
Knowledge of health and care services, particularly mental health, poverty and community based services (our priority areas for 2014/16) / X
Excellent verbal and written communication skills / X
Working knowledge of all standard Microsoft Office software and of social media / X
Personal Qualities / Essential / Desirable
Understanding of and commitment to equality and diversity / X
Enthusiasm and a positive attitude / X
Demonstrate a commitment to a person-centred approach and involvement of people who use services in all aspects of work / X
A positive approach to IT and a commitment to using its applications / x
General
Occasional evening or weekend work may be required
An enhanced DBS check will be required