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Service User Network (SUN) Group Facilitator with Lived Experience
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We are looking for an individual to work within our specialist SUN (Service User Network) service for people with difficulties associated with Personality Disorder. Candidates will be prepared to use their own personal experiences of managing similar difficulties with their own mental health and recovery and will provide hope direction understanding and share experiences to support and empower members (Service Users).
This service is delivered in partnership with Surrey and Borders Partnership and Catalyst.
Job Summary
Job title: Service User Network (SUN) Group Facilitator with Lived Experience
Service: Service User Network (SUN)
Location: Various locations in Surrey. SUN offers a combination of online and face-to-face groups
Hours: 37h per week (evening or weekend work may be required)
Salary: £26,520 (per annum)
Term: Permanent
Holidays: 25 days per year (plus bank holidays)
This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, and the successful completion of a probationary period.
Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 19th November 2023
Interview Date: Monday 4th December 2023
(The interview will include a group exercise and an individual interview)
Job Overview
The SUN facilitator with lived experience will be working closely with a mental health practitioner and will co-facilitate the delivery of (SUN) groups in different community-based locations across Surrey as well as online groups.
The SUN (Service User Network) is an initiative aimed at improving services for people with personality disorders and is part of the of Surrey and Borders Partnerships transformation program.
The SUN provides community-based, open access facilitated peer support groups and aims to help people develop effective ways of coping, reduce emergencies, and improve access to appropriate services.
We would welcome applications from members who have not attended this Surrey and NE Hants SUN service for 6 months prior to applying for this post. Facilitators are not able to be current members of the Surrey and NE Hants SUN group.
Key Responsibilities
- To co-deliver regular SUN groups in the community, both face to face and online, with a clinical facilitator.
- To work in collaboration with the co-facilitator and the SUN members, within support groups, to:
- promote peer support and reduce isolation.
- improve coping skills of its members.
- reduce the number of crises that require urgent and unplanned responses from services.
- facilitate access to other services and sources of support.
- share and relate own lived experience to SUN members.
- to assist people in understanding their rights and choices within the service.
- to encourage and motivate people to take an active role in their own recovery.
- to positively promote and support the empowerment of our members.
- To use own lived experience of mental health problems associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder to support the development and knowledge of the service and wider services.
- To follow the protocols and guidelines for effective working.
- To take full responsibility for understanding and applying professional boundaries.
- To contribute to ensuring that any potential risk is being constantly assessed within a culture of positive risk taking.
- To contribute to team supervision and business meetings, information regarding the safety and wellbeing of the people who access the service.
- To co-lead on different areas of the service on a rota basis, i.e., reporting, outreach and member involvement.
- To be responsible for keeping up to date with emails, updating outlook diary etc.
- To cover admin when required; respond to phone call and email enquiries, set up group link etc.
- To actively engage in weekly team supervision and reflective practice
- To actively engage in 1:1 check-ins and managerial supervisions.
- To undertake all the required training in line with the development of the post and as agreed with both your line manager within MFT and the service manager of SUN.
- To attend and contribute to additional service development meetings as required.
- To assist in the promotion of the service through active liaison, meetings, and presentations with people who access services, staff and other organisations.
- To comply with all relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines.
- To undertake any relevant duties as requested.
- To attend any relevant training as and when required.
Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications Required
Essential:
- Commitment to undertake training on SUN protocols and methods and obtain knowledge regarding mental health with specific focus on Personality Disorder (PD) and the recovery approach.
- Personal lived experience of mental health issues associated with Personality Disorders
- Previous experience of working within a professional environment.
- Knowledge of PD, mental health issues and recovery approach.
- Ability to reflect on and appropriately share your own life experiences and personal experiences of mental ill health as part of the facilitating role of the groups.
- Ability to guide others in taking charge of their own recovery.
- Ability to understand and create healthy boundaries.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Excellent communication and listening skills.
- Ability to be non-judgmental, demonstrate empathy, compassion, and patience.
- Practical experience in facilitating / co-facilitating groups or of being a member of a support or therapy group.
- Ability to remain calm and respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance, and unpredictability.
- Sensitive understanding of diversity issues and ability to promote anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
- Ability to work co-operatively as part of a multidisciplinary team (statutory and voluntary) from different locations and to travel to and from a number of different locations on a daily basis.
- Ability to engage effectively in all supervision sessions and to be able to raise concerns or personal difficulties which may affect the work being undertaken.
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, use of email, Outlook, and basic excel skills.
- Ability to enter data onto a database as required by the Service.
- Ability to use / learn on-line social communication platforms (Teams, Zoom) and willingness to run groups on-line as well as face to face.
- Ability to demonstrate your continuing progress in recovery with the difficulties associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder as this is an emotionally demanding role.
Desirable:
- Completed an accredited peer support training or coaching.
- Paid or unpaid experience of support worker/training/teaching or coaching others.
- Good understanding of mental health services
About us
Mary Frances Trust (MFT) is a mental health and emotional wellbeing charity, supporting Surrey residents since 1994 in Banstead, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell and Mole Valley.
We offer a variety of face-to-face and online services, available to adults (aged 16+) living in Surrey who would like to restore and/or maintain their mental and emotional wellbeing (no diagnosis needed).
Our services are free of charge, with no waiting list and no time limit (you can use us for as long as you need and register again at any point).
To see all of our services, please visit the How We Help section of our website.
Our Vision
We believe anyone experiencing any kind of mental or emotional health issues should feel unafraid to ask for help, receive appropriate support for as long as they need, and be inspired to develop the skills that will help them to restore and maintain their own wellbeing, and lead a fulfilling life.
Our Mission
Our mission is to:
- Work alongside people experiencing any kind of emotional or mental health issues for as long as they need, and inspire them to develop the skills that will help them to restore and maintain their emotional wellbeing
- Involve people with lived experience of mental health issues at every level of the organisation so together we can design, deliver, monitor and review our services and ensure they respond to their changing needs
- Consistently challenge stigma attached to mental illness and raise awareness of the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing
- Lead and co-ordinate the development and delivery of first-class, voluntary mental health services in Surrey
- Maintain sufficient funding streams to be able to provide person-centred services to people experiencing any kind of emotional or mental health issues.
Safer Recruitment
We are committed to following Safer Recruitment practices to ensure the safeguarding of the whole community we serve, from members of the public and clients using our services, to our staff, volunteers, partners and external facilitators. All successful candidates will be required to undertake enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks as well as reference checks before being officially offered the post. Please note that a criminal record is not an automatic exclusion and will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
New staff members will be subject to a six-month probationary period and all staff members will receive regular Safeguarding training throughout the duration of their employment.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We believe in a fair, equal, diverse and inclusive society. As an organisation, we believe we are stronger and richer when we bring together different experiences and perspectives to better serve our clients and local community. We are committed to creating a workforce that is diverse, inclusive of all, representative of the community we serve, promotes positivity, and instils a can-do attitude in everyone, no matter their background or characteristics at every level of our organisation from our staff and volunteers, all the way to our Trustees and Patrons. We strongly encourage applications from members of every community and actively seek to hire people with lived experience of mental health issues.
How to Apply
To apply for this role, please fill in our Online Application Form (button below) where you’ll be able to upload your CV and covering letter (in which you’ll explain how you feel your experience is suitable for the role). Thank you!
If you are encountering any difficulties applying for the position, please email Emma our Administration and Communications Assistant, at: emmal@maryfrancestrust.org.uk.
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