Peer Mentor - Countywide

If you want to use your experience to help people change their lives for the better, peer mentoring with SASP/2BU/Young Somerset/Minehead Eye/Conquest could be just the opportunity you're looking for.

Peer mentoring is all about using your experiences to help others. It's a great chance to take something difficult that you've been through and turn it into something positive. You will show people that change is possible.

The Open Mental Health programme aims to work with young adults aged 16-25 years old who are transitioning out of children's mental health services, or don't meet the threshold for support with their mental health. The project will support young adults to foster a more positive view of themselves, raise aspirations and provide safe, fun and purposeful environments for them to feel more independent and empowered around their own mental health and engage positively in their communities.

The programme offers choice to the young adults around their area of interest and they will be able to request a mentor who share a similar interest to them. Peer mentors can be anyone 18+.

As a Peer Mentor for Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership you will be supporting young adults who have an interest in sport and being active to help them raise self-esteem and aspiration to make positive choices through joining specific sports clubs or other physically active community groups or developing their leadership skills.

Key to the success of the project is employing a peer mentor who has the ability to engage with young adults, some who might be inactive and disengaged, many who do not access any regular clubs or activities. As a peer mentor you will draw on your own life experience in offering support to the young adults you work with. You will support these young adults to grow their confidence and self-esteem as well as develop positive social networks through community groups and through the mentoring, understand their worth and grow their aspiration.

SASP/2BU/Minehead Eye/ Young Somerset/Conquest and FUSE Performance offer a supportive environment, training, regular supervision and appraisal.

Key Responsibilities

• To work closely as part of a team with SASP, young people, volunteers, partners, agencies, parents and carers, amongst others.
• Work within the key aims of SASP
• Be an active listener and offer support and encouragement when appropriate.

• Support, guide, empower and motivate young adults to support their own mental health through positive choices.
• Provide healthy, trusting relationship through clear communication and setting appropriate boundaries.
• Create a safe environment essential to successfully facilitate the mentor/mentee relationship.
• Provide appropriate levels of mentoring, support, advice and guidance to young adults.
• Support young adults to make connection to new groups to provide belonging, safety, positive experiences and new friendships.
• Engage young adults in their communities positively.
• Be non-judgemental when working with the young person and build trust and rapport.
• Acknowledge their strengths and encouraging them to find ways to use them.
• Support young adults in articulating their views on issues which affect them and act as advocates on their behalf.
• To undertake training and development activities relevant to the post.
• To be able to work as part of a team.
• To maintain electronic and paper records, files, databases for collecting reporting, monitoring and evaluation data.
• To ensure events and activities take place in a safe way, ensuring risk assessments are in place and Health and Safety is attended to at all times.
• To promote all relevant initiatives by relevant agencies to encourage networking, communication, friendship, recovery, increased confidence and self-esteem of young adults.
• To report all activities in regular feedback to the project manager and follow policies including confidentiality and safeguarding, reporting all risks to the project manager.
• Attend regular supervision meetings according to the role.
• To build and maintain a working knowledge of our own and other organisation's services in order to refer clients, where appropriate to the best information, advice or support. As well as knowing how to and where to refer young people and families, for more in-depth information, advice and extra support.
• To have good IT and social media skills.
• Perform any other duties as reasonably required.

TO APPLY: Please apply using the attached SASP application form. Please send this to recruitment@sasp.co.uk by Friday 1st July, 12noon. Please also complete the self declaration form and return with your application.

For further information on the role, please contact Laura Dyke, on 01823 653990 or email recruitment@sasp.co.uk.

Closing date: Friday 1st July

As an organisation, we are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with our children and adults.

Data Protection

The information supplied on application forms and CV's is being collected as part of Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership recruitment and selection procedures and policies.

When you complete the form or send a CV, you are preparing to enter into an employment contract with Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership. If you are successful with your application the information will also be used for the determination and payment of salary, contact referees and to produce the particulars of a contract. The information you provide will also be disclosed to relevant statutory bodies where Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership have a legal obligation to do so.

The application forms and CV's of unsuccessful candidates will be retained for six months, after which time they will be destroyed.

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