Lived Experience Recovery Worker - #1724032

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Lived Experience Recovery Worker to work as part of our Community Mental Health Unit .

Imagine being part of an organisation whose common purpose is to help those who are severely impacted by mental illness. We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity – and that’s why equity is one of our core values. We draw on the expertise, unique perspectives and lived experience of our people – regardless of who they are or their background – to help us become inclusive and anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider that reflect the diverse communities we support as a mental health charity.

The Community Mental Health Unit at Rethink has a range of colleagues with different expertise needed to be the voluntary sector partner for system transformation. Experience of joined up treatment and support that meets the needs of people severely affected by mental illness is a key objective for us across our organisation.

Rethink Mental Illness and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are working collaboratively to deliver this service. As well as working alongside colleagues of the Community Mental Health Unit at Rethink, you will be working within the IRWC. The Involvement, Recovery & Wellness Team coach, mentor and utilise their lived experience to teach/help people to self-manage the symptoms of their long-term health conditions, in both groups and on a one-to-one basis, promoting hope, opportunity, and empowerment.

How you will make a difference

Rethink Mental Illness is a mental health charity working for better quality of life for people affected by mental illness.  As a Lived Experience Recovery Worker, you will work closely within the Involvement, Recovery and Wellness Centre (IRWC) at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver peer support coaching and mentoring to those who suffer with a mental illness. 

You will work with the following people and teams -

• Service users and carers
• IRWC clinical staff, other practitioners, and support workers in the wider Community Mental Health Teams to assist in improving the wellbeing of service users
• Other statutory and non-statutory health and social care services and community groups

All Lived Experience Recovery Workers will undertake the same role; however, each worker will be expected to have lived experience and developed knowledge in one of these specialisms: LGBTQ+, Neurodiversity, Carer’s support or Severe enduring mental health.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion 

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. 

We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation 

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation. You can read more about our progress here. 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact - ***********@rethink.org