The Southwark Community Sanctuary is a crisis space open to anybody over the age of 18. We are run by the charity Together for Mental Wellbeing. The Sanctuary’s services are free and open to anyone who lives in Southwark or is registered with a Southwark GP. We are commissioned by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and provide a self-referral service for any persons experiencing mental distress. We can help service users to identify support and safety needs, develop coping strategies and assist in planning for better wellbeing.
We provide support in person, online via video chat, or over the phone. We are open for face-to-face support sessions Monday – Friday from 5pm to 11pm, and Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays from 1pm to 11pm. We offer peer support at the Sanctuary, and in-line with Together UK's principles of service user and peer leadership, we recruit peer support volunteers with personal lived experience of mental distress and/or accessing mental health services.
About this role
As a Peer Supporter, your lived experience of mental distress will be at the heart of your role. You will use your own experiences to empathise with and support people who are experiencing mental distress, sharing your lived experience in an appropriate way to express empathy and hopefulness. This will involve sharing skills and techniques to help people identify their own self-management tools and ways of moving forward with life.
With guidance from your Peer Support Coordinator, you will support people in a way that is led by them and suits your strengths and skills. All of what you do will draw on your lived experience in an appropriate way and this could include some or all of the following:
We welcome your suggestions of ways to provide peer support. The important thing is that you are drawing on your own experiences of mental distress and/or using mental health services to support others. Training and support will be provided to help you in your role as a Peer Supporter.
Who are we looking for? Your skills, knowledge and experience
What you can expect to get out of the role
As a peer support volunteer you will have access to regular supervision and ongoing support and guidance from your Peer Support Coordinator. You can go to them with any issues or questions about peer support and you will work with them to develop and use your skills as a Peer Support Volunteer in a way that benefits you and the people you are supporting.
There will be training and on-going learning and development opportunities available to you through on-line and/or classroom learning, and access to health and wellbeing support via a dedicated helpline.
Any reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred within your role will be reimbursed.
How to apply and what to do next
If you have any questions at all, wish to discuss this role further or would like to request an application form please contact the Peer Support Coordinator below.
Name: Meghan Spacey
Position: Peer Support and Volunteer Coordinator
Telephone: 07977 794065
Email: meghan-spacey@together-uk.org
Address: Thames Reach Employment Academy, 29 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UA
At Together we value and encourage diversity and inclusion within our workforce. We are committed to creating a workplace where you can be your authentic self, welcoming applications from people from diverse communities and backgrounds who share our values. As an employer, we are committed to making any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process.
Successful candidates will require an enhanced DBS check. To find out more, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service. Together is committed to equal opportunities and non-discriminatory practices. Charity No. 211091