Community Peer Practitioner

SOLENT MIND

12,487.5 per year (pro rata)

Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre, St Marys Hospital and Portsmouth and Surrounding areas

Part-time

Listed 2 weeks ago

JOB DESCRIPTION

Community Peer Practitioner

Reports To:

Community Peer Team Lead

Direct Reports:

None

Location:

Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre, St Marys Hospital and
Portsmouth and Surrounding areas

Hours:

18.5 hours per week

Salary Range:

£12,487.50 to £13,452.50 per annum (£24,975 to £26,905 full-
time equivalent) – Solent Mind

Contract Type:

21 month fixed term

Purpose:

To provide 1-1 peer support, advice and guidance to people experiencing mental distress in Portsmouth
and surrounding areas

Principal Accountabilities:

• Work with servicer users on a 1-1 with a caseload of approximately 15 people at any one

time, aiming for people to remain on a 1-1 caseload for an average of 6-8 weeks.

• Work in a person-centred manner to support the health and wellbeing of individual people.

• Form strong working relationships with other local community voluntary sector organisations to
create support and opportunities for people accessing the service after they have moved on.

• Support people accessing the service to develop links within their communities.

• Support integrating service users in the community, linking individuals with services and
activities, developing social contacts and community participation and promoting mental and
physical wellbeing and maintain independence within communities.

• Share personal recovery experiences through telling your own story appropriately, enabling
service users to share theirs. This is a two-way process that allows both you and the service
user to learn from each other in line with their own recovery journey.

• Support Volunteers within the service to enable them to provide high quality support to our

service users.

• Participate in service monitoring, evaluation and reflection in line with the project guidelines, and

support service users to take part.

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• Build relationships and work alongside our NHS Clinical Colleagues in St Marys Hospital.

• To attend relevant Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings, providing regular feedback on people’s
non-clinical needs and progress, both verbally and in meetings and in written reports when
requested.

• Work in collaboration with MDT colleagues assess the patients’ current risk and manage it

effectively.

• Work in accordance with the local Health and Safety Regulations, Safeguarding procedures and

always maintain confidentiality.

• To adhere to and support the development of relevant procedures and guidelines as they relate

to the service.

• To complete and understand risk assessments and procedures as appropriate.

• Support service user safety, including contributing to safety plans, individual risk assessments

and recognising and escalating safeguarding concerns as appropriate.

• To maintain appropriate and accurate records of support, intervention and progress, recording

on the relevant patient system.

• Working closely with other community and VCSE service providers and Social Prescribers

working within Primary Care Networks across Portsmouth and surrounding areas.

General:

• Adhere to the aims, values, policies and procedures of Solent Mind, particularly safeguarding

and health & safety.

This list is non exhaustive and other duties may be required to meet the needs of Solent Mind

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

Peer Support And Wellbeing Practitioner

Requirement

Qualifications/Education/Training:

Minimum Level 3 qualification OR extensive experience.

Experience:

Own mental health lived experience.

Actively engaged in own recovery and an awareness of own wellbeing needs and ability
to seek support to maintain resilience in emotionally challenging situations.

Experience of working professionally with people with mental health needs, in a paid or
voluntary capacity.

Experience of providing support and/or guidance to people with mental health issues.

Experience of working in partnership/multi agency working.

An understanding of the role of peer support within mental health.

An understanding of key concepts of recovery.

An understanding of the key difficulties and challenges faced by people on their recovery
journey.

Experience of helping people identify their own goals on their recovery journey and the
ability to support people in pursuing these.

Facilitating support groups/workshops.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies:

Demonstrate the knowledge, confidence and skills to work with people with a range of
needs.

Demonstrate a knowledge of mental health services, and wider related groups and
organisations.

Demonstrate the confidence and understanding to advocate for service users planning.

The ability to manage time and competing priorities and take responsibility for your own
work, accountabilities and caseload.

Excellent team working skills including listening, constructive feedback, respect and
dignity and skill sharing.

Intermediate computer skills and the ability to use computer-based information systems
including but not limited to: Excel, Word, Powerpoint, In-Form, MS Teams & Zoom.

The ability to maintain and monitor accurate recording of participation, progress and
outcomes, in line with GDPR requirements.

Understanding of safeguarding in the context of mental health.

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Essential
or
Desirable

Essential

Desirable

Essential

Desirable

Essential

Requirement

Working knowledge of the welfare benefits system.

An ability to promote service user involvement.

Other:

Commitment to Solent Mind’s values.

Commitment to Solent Mind’s Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion policies.

Willingness to undergo a relevant DBS Check if required.

Ability to travel.

Ability to work on occasional evenings and weekends.

Date job originated: December 2025
Date job reviewed: December 2025
Reviewing Manager: Abbie Drinkwater

Essential
or
Desirable
Desirable

Essential

Page 4 of 4

Connect with a cause that needs you!

Community Peer Practitioner