Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
Peer Support Practitioner
About the role
Job summary
Are you passionate about using your lived experience to inspire hope and empower others on their recovery journey? We are seeking a compassionate, flexible Peer Support Practitioner to join our team.
To work closely alongside other team members to support service users to establish greater control over their lives, helping to identify aspects of life that give meaning, hope, value and purpose whilst recognizing that each individual's recovery is a distinctive and deeply personal process.
This role will involve working with service users supporting them to reach their individual recovery goals. There will be a variety of tasks some of which will be service user initiated, whilst others will be requested by staff for the overall service provision.
Main duties of the job
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Deliver Personalised Recovery Support: Provide one-to-one support to help service users create their personal recovery plans, complete My Shared Pathway documentation, and develop coping strategies.
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Inspire Hope Through Lived Experience: Safely and appropriately share your own recovery story to model positive coping skills, mentor individuals, and build mutual trust.
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Advocate & Support in Care Meetings: Attend ward rounds, CPA meetings, and consultations alongside service users (with their consent) to help them feel heard and build confidence in speaking up for themselves.
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Contribute to Care Delivery & Reporting: Work under the supervision of senior staff to contribute to care plans, providing clear, accurate oral reports that accurately reflect service users' views and needs.
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Champion Peer Support & Service Quality: Promote the value of recovery across the team, support the collection of annual patient experience surveys, and contribute to local evaluations of the peer support role.
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Maintain Safety, Trust, and Professional Standards: Assist in maintaining a safe, caring environment while upholding strict confidentiality in line with NHS Trust policies.
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Engage in Team Growth & Development: Participate actively in team meetings, clinical supervision, annual appraisals, and personal development goals.
About us
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway.
Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.
Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.
Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.
Job responsibilities
Lived experience of mental health problems, addiction or contact with the criminal justice system and willing to positively share own life experiences. Lived experience of mental health services.
Ideally have personal experience in telling your story or willingness to train. Knowledge of personal recovery and developed plans for managing own recovery.
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification
What is High Cost Area Allowance?
The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.
As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.
5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures)