Case Worker - CAPSA Services (Culturally Appropriate Peer Support and Advocacy)
2 days ago
London
Job Title: Case Worker – CAPSA Services (Culturally Appropriate Peer Support and Advocacy) Reports to: CAPSA Team Manager Geographic focus: Lambeth Salary: £30,500 Hours of Work: 37.5 per week (flexible working available) Duration: 2 Year Contract (with a potential to extend) Benefits: 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, pension contribution, Employees' Assistance Programme. Purpose of the role The CAPSA (Culturally Appropriate Peer Support and Advocacy) Worker role has been specifically designed to support Black people using the secondary mental health system. As a CAPSA Worker, you will provide both Generic Mental Health Advocacy and Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) to eligible individuals, including people detained under the Mental Health Act(MHA) 1983/2007, conditionally discharged restricted patients, those under Guardianship, and those on Community Treatment orders, as well as individuals considered for section 57 treatments. You will play a key role in ensuring that the perspectives of Black service users are recognised and respected, addressing their unique and multiple needs, and promoting access to advocacy for all eligible individuals. You will raise awareness of advocacy, rights under the MHA, and the CAPSA service among professionals, individuals, and agencies. In addition to direct advocacy, you will contribute to service development by supporting an effective administration system and helping evaluate the impact of advocacy for both service users and commissioners. As part of CAPSA’s race-led approach to systems change, you will also help challenge systemic racism in mental health services, embed culturally competent practice, and promote equitable care within South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM). Job summary Black Thrive Lambeth has developed a co-designed, culturally appropriate peer support and advocacy service (CAPSA) on behalf of the Living Well Network Alliance (LWNA). CAPSA provides support to Black community members with mental health needs through peer support and advocacy, led by individuals with lived experience or lived understanding of mental health challenges. The service creates a space where experiences are respected, accepted, and valued equally. The role involves building positive relationships with Black service users; offering one-to-one and group advocacy; supporting self-advocacy; gathering and sharing information to inform decision-making; and preparing monitoring reports and feedback. Advocates ensure that the views, wishes, and needs of Black service users are heard and acknowledged, addressing the impact of racism within traditional mental health services. Duties and responsibilities Key Responsibilities: Advocacy & Support for Black Service Users • Work with individual Black service users to provide culturally informed advocacy, support, and representation to assist them in decision-making related to their care, treatment, and legal status., • You will manage a caseload of up to 10 clients., • This will consist of weekly meetings with clients and supporting them around their care in the mental health system, this will be both within inpatient services and CMHTs (Community Mental Health Teams) as well as in the community., • Support Black service users in developing and maintaining their cultural identity by identifying strengths and advocating for culturally relevant mental health interventions., • Develop trusting relationships with Black service users within appropriate boundaries to help them express their mental health needs., • Assist service users in preparing for meetings, attend appointments with them if required, and advocate on their behalf where needed., • Use lived experience and cultural understanding to promote positive self-esteem and recovery through a culturally informed peer support model., • Provide practical guidance to Black service users, and where appropriate, their carers, on self-care, resilience strategies, and managing mental health within a race equality framework., • Promote service user involvement by empowering individuals to communicate their culturally lived experiences and mental health needs to professionals., • Work collaboratively with key stakeholders and community members to develop a culturally informed advocacy and peer support model., • Establish regular advocacy ‘drop-ins’ on wards and in the community, ensuring accessibility for Black service users., • Signpost service users to culturally relevant community, inpatient, and online resources, as well as mainstream and specialist services., • Liaise with, and when necessary, challenge NHS professionals, care teams, and local authorities to ensure due process and cultural competence in service delivery., • Maintain confidentiality, respect service users’ right to privacy, and ensure their dignity is always upheld., • Keep accurate and timely records of advocacy and peer support work, providing regular verbal and written reports to the line manager., • Attend team meetings, participate in one-to-one supervision, group supervision sessions, and complete mandatory training in peer support and other job-related areas., • To attend and participate in meetings held by the CAPSA team and other bodies as required., • To maintain records of hours worked and to complete accurate expense returns., • To foster and develop an equality and diversity approach within the role, in line with Black Thrive’, • To promote the service through the distribution of publicity materials, liaising with statutory and voluntary services, and, where appropriate, through the media and presentations to local groups within the agreed company policies., • To promote the role of advocates both within the Living Well Network Alliance (LWNA) and externally., • To work well as part of the team in a way that promotes inclusivity and respect in a supportive environment. Each quality is marked as either E (Essential) or D (Desirable). Experience (E/D) • Understanding and/or experience of mental health legislation and the Mental Health journey process in numerous settings – E, • Lived experience of racism or discrimination in wider society and in the provision of mental health services – E, • Experience of identifying and meeting the needs of individual people – E, • Experience and ability to develop and maintain relationships with various stakeholders – E, • A commitment to working in an anti-racist and anti-oppressive way – E, • Confidence in challenging stigma and discrimination within structural settings – E, • Understanding and knowledge of assessment of needs – E, • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences – E, • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including via telephone, in person, over video link, and through presentations, demonstrating confidence and assertiveness – E, • Emotional resilience and the ability to cope with sometimes challenging people and environments – E, • Ability to work flexibly to meet varying demands on the service – E, • Good organisational skills, including timekeeping and ability to travel to different locations – E, • Excellent computer literacy and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office – E, • An understanding and awareness of The Equality Act 2010 – E, • Ability to act calmly and respond professionally to distress, disturbance, and unpredictability – E, • Ability to work independently on own initiative and prioritise workload while working as part of a team – E, • Commitment to learning through work-based learning and mandatory training – E, • Knowledge of mental health legislation such as MHA 1983/2007, MCA 2017 – D, • Understanding of the specific role, purpose, and responsibilities of an Independent Mental Health Advocate – D, • Knowledge and/or awareness of safeguarding issues – D, • An additional language (e.g., Portuguese, French, etc.) – D An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. Still, we will treat applicants with a criminal record fairly and not unreasonably discriminate because of a conviction or other information revealed.