Peer Workers in Addictions support individuals through tailored interventions to help them achieve their recovery goals as defined by them. They play a key role across various services, working collaboratively to ensure that services are co-produced and responsive to the needs of those they support.
A Peer Support Worker in the Adult Autism Diagnostic Service focuses on promoting wellbeing and helping individuals maintain stability in their lives. They provide tailored support rooted in shared experiences, offering practical strategies and emotional understanding. Their role emphasises empowerment, fostering self-acceptance, and building connections to help individuals navigate challenges and thrive in ways that align with their unique strengths and needs.
The role of peer support workers in Blood Borne Virus clinics is to support people to attain the recovery of life after a diagnosis of HIV or other blood borne viruses through sharing wisdom from their own experiences. They inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.
Peer Support Workers meet with service users on a 1:1, group or drop-in basis providing ongoing support and working with allied colleagues to develop and deliver a varied offer of activities to support them. They promote the use of a ‘coaching’ role to support people using our services to identify goals and develop personal recovery or self-management plans.
An Eating Disorders Peer Support Worker is an individual who uses their lived experience of an eating disorder to support others on their recovery journey. Eating Disorders Peer Support Workers are available across different pathways in the service, such as inpatient, therapy, community, and day programme. Depending on someone’s needs and pathway, Eating Disorders Peer Support Workers can provide 1:1 support, facilitate groups, give encouragement during mealtimes, join activities in the local community, and support an individual before, during or after multidisciplinary meetings related to a person’s care.
An Eating Disorders Parent/Carer Peer Support Worker is someone who has lived experience of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder. This could be as a parent, partner, sibling, extended family, friend, or chosen family member. An Eating Disorders Parent/Carer Peer Support Worker can offer a safe, supportive space for loved ones of people using our services to work through the experiences and emotions of being a caregiver, develop strategies, and cultivate self-compassion through 1:1 and group support.
Peer Employment Specialists help individuals to steer their route back to vocation, helping navigate benefits, interviews and skill building as well as supporting individuals to look and apply for jobs.
The Peer Support Worker in the ReFoCuS (Forensic Community Service) works across Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster as part of a multidisciplinary team.
They use their lived experience of recovery from mental health challenges and of accessing forensic mental health services to support people 1:1 in the community.
They support the work of their team within the gap between community mental health services and the criminal justice system.
They support people with a history of contact with the criminal justice system, or who are deemed to have the potential to commit a serious offence while living with mental health challenges, inspiring hope that recovery and a meaningful life are possible for them.
The Carer Peer Support Worker provides ongoing support not only to patients on Kershaw ward for Older Adults but to their families and/or carers.
Perinatal Peer Support Workers in Community Perinatal Mental Health Teams support those going through pregnancy, birth transitions and for up to 2 years postnatally to get support and speak to someone 'mum to mum' who has gone through a similar journey.
They work within the teams to support wider mental health recovery in a way that is trauma-informed and non-judgemental.
Additionally, they run peer groups where mums and birthing parents can come together and support each other, talking about real challenges and recovery in a supportive, safe environment.
For those who have suffered Trauma and Loss we also have a Peer Support Worker in the Maternal Trauma Loss Care Service (MTLC) which offers specialist care and support through these challenges.
The Perinatal Peer Support worker at Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in Park Royal has had lived experience of recovery from an MBU and understands the particular challenges it presents. They support mums at a key stage in their recovery to move forward with hope.
Peer Tutors work within the Reducing Restrictive Practices team and have lived experience of mental health recovery, inpatient service use, and restrictive interventions, integrating these perspectives into training and practice.
Peer tutors co-deliver Trustwide training on prevention and therapeutic management of violence and aggression (TMVA), ensuring a recovery-focused, trauma-informed approach, and supporting staff in understanding the impact of restrictive interventions. They also act as Link Peer Tutors in clinical areas, promoting de-escalation techniques, recovery-oriented care, and staff or patient debriefing while contributing to service improvements and compliance with use of force legislation.
This role collaborates with various teams, engaging in ongoing professional development, and championing inclusivity, mental health awareness, and peer support within the Trust.
Peer Trainers work within the Recovery & Wellbeing College to assist in the co-production of design and delivery of a range of recovery-focussed courses and workshops for people using our services, their supporters and CNWL staff. They increase the awareness and use of Health and Wellbeing plans and work within the spirit of co-production and co-delivery for all presentations and courses.
Peer Educators work within the Peer & Lived Experience Training Team, and bring their lived experiences of mental health challenges, and their professional experience of working as peer workers and in delivering training to the online classroom, facilitating accredited training for new and prospective peer workers from a range of organisations across different areas of England.
They also train supervisors of people in peer roles to help promote and encourage supportive environments for peer workers to thrive in, in line with the recommendations of the Health Education England Competence Framework for Mental Health Peer Support Workers. As part of the Peer & Lived Experience Training Team, they are responsible for the delivery, development, promotion and evaluation of commissioned training for peer workers and supervisors, providing student support and promoting the principles and practice of peer and lived experience working on a national level.
The Young Adult Pathway Peer Support Workers work with 16–25 year-olds across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Adult Mental Health Services. They use their lived experience of mental health conditions to support young adults in their recovery journey and show them that a fulfilling life is possible for everyone. They work 1:1 in the community with young people across CNWL's London boroughs – Hillingdon, Harrow, Brent, Westminster, and Kensington & Chelsea.