Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner

Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner

Closing date is 22 December 2025

Working across all of our community and inpatient mental health service sites in the local area of Hillingdon, the role of the Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner will be to support the development and ongoing delivery of CNWL's Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice provision within the Borough.

Across these sites, the postholder will work to ensure Peer Support Worker (PSW) roles are created and undertaken in line with our Trust-wide policies and practices, that PSWs and Senior PSWs are suitably supported with their work, and that the Recovery agenda is maintained across sites.

The postholder will work to facilitate and maintain service user and carer involvement initiatives across the borough of Hillingdon.

In addition, the postholder will contribute as a leading stakeholder within the Recovery and Wellbeing College and will be responsible for occasional delivery of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.

Main duties of the job

• Support to establish and cofacilitate a regular Service User and Carer Involvement Group in Hillingdon, ensuring that it remains a safe space and a platform for involvement and co-production opportunities in the borough.
• Deliver specialist group and 1:1 lived experience-based work where appropriate. This may include working alongside service users in developing crisis, recovery and wellbeing plans, Advanced Decisions/Statements and personal network maps, peer groups and other therapeutic groups within the community and inpatient services and facilitation of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.
• Regularly contribute to trauma informed case formulations alongside the wider MDT.
• Engaging with local community and third sector providers within the borough of Hillingdon to foster positive working relationships.
• Provide person centred, strengths based support, informed by experiential knowledge of lived experience (direct personal experience of mental and emotional distress), supporting service users to maintain or regain a sense of agency and autonomy throughout contact with services.
• Work in highly sensitive and complex situations, at times with people who are experiencing very high levels of distress.
• To keep and maintain accurate, quality and up to date records (using the appropriate computer systems including SystmOne).
• Engage in self reflective practices and commit to continued personal development.

About us

CNWL employs over 100 peer workers in a variety of settings.

These include:

• Mental Health Services including Inpatient services (including Older Adult and Rehabilitation), Community Mental Health Hubs, Eating Disorders Services, Perinatal Mental Health Services, The Dual Diagnosis Team, Carer and Parent Peer Support Workers, The Young Adult Pathway.
• Services beyond Mental Health including Complex Care, Addictions Services, Health and Justice, Sexual Health Services, The Recovery & Wellbeing College.

Short film: Peer and Lived Experience Working in CNWL

Short film: What is Lived Experience Practice?

Job responsibilities

Work in accordance with CNWLs Trust Values, Aims and Objectives.

To act as an ambassador for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations.

Work at all times to promote equality, diversity and individual human rights.

Be efficient, responsible and maintain a high level of personal organisation; keeping accurate and appropriate records and providing information for monitoring and evaluation as required.

To prioritise your own personal wellbeing, and to seek support if issues arise with work life balance.

Work flexibly, being prepared to perform other duties commensurate with the role which may include new areas of operation following consultation.

Work alongside and ensure active service user and carer participation in all aspects of work including design, implementation and monitoring of activities.

To participate in Trust mandatory training & development opportunities considered appropriate to the Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner role and as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).

To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual development review/ Appraisal.

To receive regular line management supervision in addition to discipline specific supervision.

Person Specification Education and qualification

• Completion of Peer Support Training
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Undergraduate degree or able to demonstrate equivalent skills in research, writing or analysis
• Mentorship or clinical supervision training

Experience (Paid/Non paid)

• Lived experience of recovery from mental and emotional distress, and experience of using secondary care mental health services
• Experience as a peer worker
• Experience of delivering mentoring and/or supervision/appraisal
• Experience of teaching and training or facilitating groupwork
• Experience of relationship building and partnership working
• Experience of working with a range of organisations to support service users to reach their personal goals
• Experience in using electronic patient records systems such as RiO, SystemOne or CareNotes
• Experience of public speaking Liaising and working with colleagues from other disciplines
• Involvement in service redesign and development

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

• Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery at an expert level
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• Awareness of the service user/ survivor movement and the history of Intentional Peer Support
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users
• Knowledge and commitment to service users rights, involvement and service user led initiatives
• Understanding and practical knowledge of a variety of recovery approaches
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice
• Demonstrable skills in effective leadership
• Ability to take part in activities for improving quality
• Ability to manage own workload, prioritise and seek creative solutions
• Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
• Ability to provide leadership and supervision to the team
• Ability to deal with pressure, prioritisation and delegation and meeting deadlines
• Ability to work in accordance with Trust Policies and Procedures
• Thorough knowledge of social inclusion and the principles of recovery.
• Awareness of community resources and service user groups
• Knowledge of current legislation which underpins Health and Social Care and a working knowledge of the Equalities Act 2010 and Human Rights Act

Other

• Ability to travel across the Trust by public transport

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£44,485 to £52,521 a year per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T)