Peer Worker

Job title: Peer Worker (Better Than Well)

Fixed Term for one year due to funding.

Location: This post is based at LinkLiving’s Kirkcaldy office.

Hours of Work: 20 per week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)

Are you passionate about helping people to live a better life? Do you want to work for a charity where your health and wellbeing matter just as much as the people you support? Do you want to be part of a trauma-informed team where you will be supported to develop creative and flexible ways of working?

At LinkLiving, our values and people are at the heart of everything we do including how we recruit our staff. It is important for us to find people who share our values, which are:

 Empathy (listen to and understand an individual’s needs and circumstances)

 Respect (treat others the way they wish to be treated)

 Integrity (be honest and have strong moral principles)

 Caring (show kindness and concern for others)

LinkLiving is a Scottish health and wellbeing charity that supports people to manage or overcome the effects of negative life experiences (including trauma, mental health challenges, poverty and inequality) so that they can build on their strengths and aspirations in order to live their best possible lives. We support people through a range of models including: 

• Personal development and employability programmes 

• Self-help coaching

• Supported accommodation

• Care at home

• Housing support

• Befriending

• Social cafes

The Service

The Better than Well service is delivered by Self-help Coaches who provide help to people over the age of 16 in Fife who have struggled with trauma and have found it difficult to engage with other services. The Peer worker role is an exciting service development which will offer self help, safety and stabilisation group work to clients. Sitting alongside our mainstream Better Than Well service, this peer led project will provide an alternative option of accessing the service through group sessions.

The Job

The purpose of the job is to deliver Managing Well, our supported self-help groupwork project that sits within our wider Better than Well service.

Better than Well provides up to 8 one-to-one supported self-help sessions to adults who have experienced childhood trauma in Fife, particularly those who have found it difficult to engage with other services. The service is available to all adults who have experienced childhood trauma.

Managing Well is a pilot project which aims to reduce the barriers to accessing services through the provision of group sessions for survivors of childhood trauma. Sitting alongside our mainstream self-help service (Better than Well), this peer-led project will enable survivors the additional option of accessing group sessions through which they will be supported to better understand the impact of trauma on their mental health and to develop emotional self-regulation techniques to better manage mild to moderate mental health issues arising from this trauma.

About You

We're seeking a passionate advocate with a higher education background and a deep understanding of the complex issues facing marginalized communities. The Peer worker will have lived experience of using mental services and be able to use this experience to support others. You'll thrive in collaboration, contributing with open communication, empathy, and a dedication to building positive relationships.

Mental health is your priority, both personally and professionally, with expertise in self-help resources and a commitment to their use. You'll naturally apply a person-centered approach, empowering individuals to find their own strength and navigate challenges.

Proactive well-being management ensures you face any situation with a calm mind and resourceful spirit. Your excellent communication skills adapt to diverse audiences, fostering clear and effective dialogue.

A flexible and practical approach, paired with data management skills, makes you a valuable asset. A current driving license and reliable car provide the reach to support those in need, wherever they may be.

While not essential, experience with self-help techniques like CBT further expands your toolkit.

For a comprehensive list of the essential and desirable criteria required for this post, please refer to the Job Specification in the Job information Pack above.

What’s in it for you?

The benefits of being a LinkLiving employee (subject to the policies and benefit terms and conditions) include:

• Competitive salary, reviewed annually, and opportunity for annual performance related salary increases and discretionary non-consolidated pay awards, subject to terms of the scheme

• 35 days’ holiday per year (inclusive of public holidays) pro rata plus additional 3 days pro rata after 3 years’ service

• opportunity to buy and sell holiday

• enhanced company sick and family friendly pay

• access to paid SVQ qualifications and a wide range of learning and development opportunities

• funded Disclosure Scotland and Scottish Social Services Council memberships

• defined contribution pension scheme with generous employer contributions plus salary exchange and additional voluntary contribution options

• access to an Electric vehicle leasing scheme, subject to the terms of the scheme

• life assurance scheme providing death in service benefits to named beneficiaries

• healthcare cash plan for employees (and dependents) to support health and wellbeing plus discounts on shopping, restaurants, and other services

• employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate household dependants to support health, mental and financial well-being

• annual flu vaccination

• access to a savings and borrowing scheme

• cycle to work scheme

• monthly bus pass scheme

• season/travel ticket loan and much more!

For a full list of benefits available to employees, please see the following link - https://www.linkliving.org.uk/work-with-us

This post is subject to Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme registration. Link will meet the cost of any new PVG scheme membership or scheme record update.

Further Information

Interested? If you have any questions about the role, please email jobs@linkhaltd.co.uk and we can arrange for someone from the service to call you for an informal chat.

To find out more about what LinkLiving do and to view the generous pay and benefits package, please visit our website at https://www.linkliving.org.uk

If you’re thinking about working in adult social care, download the Guide to adult social care jobs in Scotland for in-depth information on everything you need to know to get started. In addition, you can enrol on a free, online 6 week part-time tutor-supported ‘Introduction to a Career in Social Care’ course. The course introduces the area of social care and can be a stepping-stone to employment or further training.

Closing Date: 23:59 on Monday 03 February 2025

Interview Date: Interviews are being held on Tuesday 11 February 2025 at our office in Kirkcaldy

How to Apply

To complete an application form, please click on the “Apply online” button below. Instructions on how to complete the form are at the top of the page.

We can offer suitable alternative methods to apply if requested including although not exclusively; hard copy, Braille and audio. You can request these by emailing our Resourcing Team at jobs@linkhaltd.co.uk and detailing which format you would require.

Please note should an internal applicant be successful in applying for this position on either a seconded or permanent basis, they will move to the terms and conditions associated with the role for the duration of the time they are in post. The terms and conditions are outlined in the job information pack.

We aim at all times to recruit the person who is most suited to the job and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. Our offices are fully accessible to wheelchair users and, as a Disability Confident Leader, we will interview all disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.