ED Day Programme Peer Support Worker | and North West NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

The role of the Eating Disorders Peer Support Worker – Inpatient Ward and Day Programme (Eating Disorders PSW) has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of recovery from a/an eating disorder(s) such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.

In the context of CNWL’s Eating Disorders Service, postholders will have experienced recovery from disordered eating challenged and accessed support through an eating disorders service in relation to this.

For this specific post, it is also required that the post holder has lived experience of accessing treatment on an inpatient eating disorders unit. Through sharing wisdom from their own experiences, Eating Disorders PSWs inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others, and using recovery principles and socially inclusive practice, the post-holder will support service users in their personal recovery journeys through the Eating Disorders Service, providing peer support for adults and young people who are currently receiving inpatient or day patient support for their eating disorder.

• Foster a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, to promote choice, self-determination, opportunities and hope.
• Raise awareness about local resources and opportunities that may assist people in maintaining their recovery.
• Encourage and support service users to use community resources that are available to them and support the Eating Disorders Service with developing links with these resources.
• Act as an advocate for recovery within the team and an ambassador for recovery for the Trust and with partner agencies.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team in a specialist service setting.
• Through sharing the wisdom of their own lived experience, the Eating Disorders PSW will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others, taking a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service settings in which they work, alongside other Trust recovery champions.
• Have responsibility for relevant safeguarding issues in relation to service users and their network, including making difficult decisions as a team adhering to the Trust’s Safeguarding policy.
• Engage in self-reflective practices and commit to continued personal development.
• Establish supportive and respectful relationships with people using eating disorders services.
• Model/mentor a recovery process, inspire hope, and demonstrate self‑management skills and techniques by skilfully using own experience of recovery.
• Provide meal support and encouragement from a lived experience perspective for mealtimes and snacks, including positive role modelling by also participating in the meal or snack.
• Assume a “coaching role” supporting users in developing personal recovery plans; this can be delivered individually or in groups.
• Support service users in making sense of their experiences of eating disorders and recovery, including understandings of personal and social recovery, health and wellbeing, personal and social identity whilst recognising that each individual’s recovery is a distinctive and deeply personal process.
• Be committed to professional development through independent learning, keeping up to date with the latest research and building connections with local and national peer networks.
• Promote development of best practices in peer support and Lived Experience Practice across the service through active participation in internal and external training and development programmes.
• Supervision requirements:
  Following the probation period, the Eating Disorders PSW will have monthly 1‑1 supervision with clinical line manager and monthly 1‑1 supervision with peer supervisor. Prior to this, and in any other periods where additional support is needed, the frequency of supervisions can be reasonably adjusted.
• Eating Disorder PSWs will also have group supervision every two months with PSWs from other CNWL services as well as fortnightly staff group with the community team.
• To work with the multi‑disciplinary team in the support of both informal service users within day programme and inpatient settings and…