Job overview

Have you ever wondered if you could use your lived experience of supporting a child with an eating disorder to help other parents/carers? 

This opportunity could be for you!

There are two roles of offer:

1x Eating disorder specific whether that be anorexia, bulimia or binge eating 

1x Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

Alder Hey Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service are looking to recruit, train and develop a team of Parent Carer Peer Support Workers (PCPSW). PCPSWs work with parents/carers to empower them to access appropriate information, advice, support and services, helping reduce isolation and offering hope when life can feel quite hopeless.

As a leading provider of Children's and Young People’s Mental Health Services, Alder Hey is committed to developing lived experience roles and working in partnership with our parents and carers. These pioneering roles will help us achieve our goal of continuing to have parent/carer support led by those with lived experience. The roles will also ensure that the parent/carer voice is at the heart of Service Development.

Will I be paid? Yes, these are paid roles matched at Agenda for Change Band 3. The hours available are flexible in recognition of the vital role of lived experience.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for someone who:

•    Has lived experience of supporting a child who has experienced an eating disorder.
•   Has lived experience of supporting a child who has experienced ARFID.
•    Is passionate about helping others and building positive relationships.
•    Is empathic and can connect to other parents/carers from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
•    Can communicate with other professionals, parents/carers and community groups.
•    Is able to work on their own, prioritising their workload and work as a part of a team.
•    Has a desire and willingness to develop skills.
•    Values supervision, support, and self-care.
 

This role may include:

• Running parent/carer support groups, including some evening groups.
• Providing support and resources through social media.
• One-to-one supportive conversations with other parents/carers on the phone, virtually and face-to-face.
• Representing parent /carer voice in Service Development.
• Being willing and able to draw on experiences to help develop and deliver training.
• Being actively involved in the recruitment of new staff members.
• Access supervision and relevant training specific to the role.

Working for our organisation

Alder Hey is an equal opportunities employer, and welcomes applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and people with disabilities. We want applications from people from diverse backgrounds as our ambition is that our workforce is fully reflective of the communities that we serve. Alder Hey is signed up to the disability confident scheme and we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the vacancy.

Alder Hey has already earned our place as one of the world's leading children's hospitals, thanks to innovation and pioneering medical work. We treat 250,000 young patients a year and have a broad range of hospital and community services, serving the local population of children, as well as being a tertiary referral centre for children from across Merseyside, Cheshire and parts of Lancashire, Shropshire and North Wales. Every individual makes a valuable contribution and Alder Hey is proud of its long history of providing pioneering and innovative healthcare to children and young people. The post holder must adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures at all times.