Peer Support Specialist (2 Posts)

An exciting opportunity has arisen as a result of a successful bid for Changing Futures funding across the Northumbria region.

Changing Futures is a three-year, £64 million programme that seeks to test new ways of bringing together the public sector and community sector to address cross-cutting issues and to drive the modernisation of public services for people experiencing multiple disadvantage.

Changing Futures Northumbria is a collaboration across the six local authorities of Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland that aims to improve the life situation of adults who face multiple disadvantage, transform local services, and reinvent the way the system operates.

We will do this by basing everything around each person’s own understanding of ‘What matters to me?’ and going wherever the work takes us. Within this, we will run caseworker teams in numerous ‘touchpoint’ locations including:

• homelessness services (Gateshead)
• alcohol in-reach in hospitals (Sunderland/South Tyneside)
• domestic abuse support (Newcastle)
• Emergency Department (Gateshead)

The role

You will be part of a frontline ‘touchpoint’ team which works in a holistic way to support individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage to improve their circumstances based on their understanding of ‘what matters to me’.

Together with a co-worker, you will have the autonomy to agree the support and/or intervention required to meet the needs of the individual. Where appropriate and helpful, you will utilise your own lived experience to build relationships and trust, offering hope as a tool for positive change.

Key to this role is having demonstrable experience of putting the person first and seeking out the best way to support families or individuals to improve their current situation. Your experience will include previously working with individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage and having an understanding of issues relating to multiple disadvantage and social exclusion effects.

To be successful in this role you will have experience of building effective working relationships across agency boundaries and of finding bespoke, creative solutions to helping people. You will be able to demonstrate a solution focused approach to resolving complex problems and have the confidence and resilience to deal with difficult situations. Effective organisational skills and the ability to work on your own initiative are essential for this role.

Having a personal commitment to continuously learn and improve practice is also essential, as well as the willingness to contribute to and benefit from learning across the team.

For an informal discussion or if you need any assistance, please contact Francis Donnelly 07761554654 or Mark Joyce on 07761554652.