Living Well Peer Support Worker Location: Derbyshire (field-based) Service: Derbyshire Recovery & Peer Support Service Salary: £9,817.96 Hours: 14 Hours per week
Make a difference through your lived experience At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that recovery is possible for everyone. We’re looking for a Peer Support Worker to join our Living Well service in Derbyshire – someone who can use their own lived experience of mental health challenges to inspire hope and support others on their recovery journey. This is more than a job. It’s an opportunity to turn your experience into something powerful – helping people feel understood, connected, and supported in their communities.
About the role As a Peer Support Worker, you’ll be part of a multi-agency Living Well team, working alongside professionals and community partners to provide meaningful, person-centred support. You’ll build authentic, trusting relationships with people, using your lived experience to: • Inspire hope and promote wellbeing • Support individuals to regain control of their lives • Help people connect with their communities and local support services • Encourage confidence, independence, and self-management You’ll deliver both emotional and practical support, working one-to-one and in group settings, and helping individuals take positive steps in their recovery journey.
What you’ll be doing • Providing peer support, encouragement, and companionship within local communities • Sharing your lived experience in a safe, appropriate, and empowering way • Supporting people to access services such as housing, education, and social opportunities • Co-facilitating recovery-focused and peer support groups • Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and attending team meetings • Contributing to service development through co-production and lived experience insight • Keeping accurate records and supporting service evaluation
Who we’re looking for We’re looking for someone who: • Has personal lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery and is able to use this to support others • Is passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives • Can build strong, empathetic, and non-judgemental relationships • Understands the importance of boundaries, confidentiality, and safeguarding • Is committed to their own wellbeing and ongoing recovery • Works well as part of a team and is open to learning and development It would be great if you also have: • Experience supporting others with mental health challenges • Knowledge of peer support principles or community resources • A person-centred, strengths-based approach
About the service Derbyshire Recovery & Peer Support Services provide community-based, recovery-focused support to help people achieve and sustain long-term mental wellbeing. Through Living Well, we work in partnership with NHS and VCSE organisations to deliver holistic, person-centred care rooted in peer support and co-production.
What we offer • A supportive and inclusive working environment • Ongoing training and development opportunities • The chance to shape and influence services through lived experience • The opportunity to make a genuine, lasting impact in your community
Important information • This role is field-based across Derbyshire • Enhanced DBS with Adults Barred List is required
Apply now If you’re ready to use your lived experience to support others and make a difference every day, we’d love to hear from you.
Why Work With Rethink Mental Illness? At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that when you feel supported, you can make the biggest difference. That’s why we offer a range of benefits to help you thrive: • Inclusive Culture: Join staff networks that champion diversity and inclusion. • Wellbeing Support: Access our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, and the Unmind mental health app. • Recognition & Rewards: Enjoy discounts, cashback offers, and celebrate achievements through our PULSE platform. • Flexible Working & Generous Leave: Starting at 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with options to buy or sell extra days. • Learning & Development: Grow your career with structured onboarding and training opportunities. • Financial & Family Support: Contributory pension scheme, enhanced family leave, and travel benefits like season ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes. • Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Diversity is important to us, and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer. We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.
Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
