Eating Disorder Support OfficerNHS

Job summary

First Steps Ed are looking for a passionate and supportive Eating Disorder Support Officer to join our team in Hertfordshire. This role will suit individuals who have a passion to support service users through their eating disorder journey using 1-2-1 person centred approach either online or Face2Face. This role will require a mixture of both in person and online support so travel and access to a vehicle is required. This is a fixed term appointment until May 2027 with a potential to extend.

Do you have lived experience of Eating Disorders or supporting a family/friend through their recovery journey. Do you have experience of providing various options to recovery of mental health? If this is you we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

• Provide peer support to service users, helping them realise their goals as agreed within their care plan.
• Work with the individuals to access our services including one-to-one peer support,
• Provide additional support and signposting to our Guided Self-help, psychoeducation programmes and support groups, befriending, and volunteering opportunities as part of their supported self-care
• Working with children and young people covering the age range of 5 to 25 years old on site in therapy rooms and online via video with one-to-one or in peer groups.
• Collaborating with multidisciplined teams to support our service users
• Deliver workshops and training to external organisations as part of the role.
• Full training and support will be provided for this role.
• This role will require you to travel 25% of the time within Hertfordshire for client meetings or face to face workshops. Access to a vehicle would be advantageous.
• This role requires a DBS check to be successfully completed prior to employment.

Job description

As a Specialist Support Officer, you will provide peer support to service users, helping them realise their goals as agreed within their care plan. You will work with the individuals to access our services including one-to-one peer support, which may include our Guided Self-help, psychoeducation programmes and support groups, befriending, and volunteering opportunities as part of their supported self-care.

The role requires the ability to relate to and work with a range of professionals to ensure provision of high quality and safe services. You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes clinical and non-clinical colleagues from referring organisations and colleagues from across our organisation.

The post holder will have at least one years experience of working with people with eating disorders and/ or mental health difficulties. A good understanding of the pathways and services is an advantage and full induction and training will be provided to ensure quality and safe services are delivered.

The post holder will be working with children and young people covering the age range of 5 to 25 years old on site in therapy rooms and online via video with one-to-one, guided self-help and peer-led support groups. The opportunity to deliver workshops and training to outside organisations is also part of the role with training and support.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Service

1. Manage a caseload of children and young people who access our services.

2. Arrange and conduct initial assessment appointments, assessing the most appropriate services and provide the relevant options available.

3. Plan and facilitate a programme of psychoeducation workshops in the agreed community and stakeholder locations.

4. Support NHS Primary Care and Secondary Care referrals to our service.

5. Develop a rapport with stakeholders to build appropriate person-centred support plans and risk assessments which will detail their full range of needs.

6. Liaise with community teams to contribute towards decision making, helping to ensure an inclusive approach is always maintained.

7. Ensure services are well planned and promoted to the relevant organisations to maximise intake of the commissioned services available.

8. Positively promote the service by participating in community activities and working with other local services, contributing to a greater understanding of disordered eating and eating disorders and body image.

9. Safeguard and ensure the quality of care of the service user and where appropriate parents/carers.

10. Undertake risk assessment and risk management for service users, working in collaboration with other care team members to manage risks identified.

11. To work as a full and active member of the multidisciplinary team.

Training, and Supervision

1. To receive regular clinical, professional, and managerial supervision and where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues and line managers as appropriate.

2. To attend post-qualification training (CPD) opportunities and contribute to the coaching of trainee students and volunteers attached to the service, as appropriate and in consultation with the Clinical Supervisor.

3.To undertake training and provide training (e.g., CBT, peer support) for other qualified and unqualified staff, user groups and volunteers as required and commensurate with experience.

4. To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional competencies.

Management, policy and service development

1. To contribute to the evaluation and monitoring of organisational practices and policy within the service.

2. To provide and maintain adequate statistics and records of work as required by the organisation.

3. Exercises delegated responsibility for the safe, appropriate use of care plan material and other equipment deployed in the post holders area of duty. Inform managers of equipment and resources needed to maintain work undertaken and any shortcomings with these.

4. To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainee and qualified Psychotherapists and Specialist Support Officers.

5. To contribute to the development of Services in discussion with the Clinical Supervisor.

6. To represent Peer Support and attend relevant meetings and professional activities by agreement with the Clinical Supervisor.

7. To inform the Clinical Supervisor of those aspects of the service where therapeutic and/or organisational matters need addressing.

Research and service evaluation

1. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature to support evidence-based practice in individual work with other team members and colleagues within supervision groups.

2. To undertake service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

General and Professional

1. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).

2. To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of eating disorder peer support and related disciplines.

3. To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies, and issues in relation to both the specific service user group and mental health.

4. To ensure highest standards of appropriate clinical record keeping are maintained in accordance with the codes of practise of a recognised governing body, and NHS commissioned contract, and with organisations policies and procedures and to be able to do so in electronic format if required.

5. To supply all clinical information within the required timescales to keep data on the electronic information system up to date.

6. To establish and maintain close working relationships with other professional groups and disciplines and participate in meetings as required.

About us

First Steps ED is a national eating disorder Charity providing help and support to individuals of all ages, genders and backgrounds including their families. We offer training and education to professionals and together with our stakeholders we advance the latest evidence-base for service developments through our service-user led approach.

• In the field of eating disorders, we offer the widest range of high-quality care focused on the needs of the individual. Our pathways include:
• Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Treatment Programmes
• Transition Eating Disorder Treatment Programmes to University Students
• Adult Eating Disorders Treatment Programmes
• Parent and Carer Support Programmes
• Digital Eating Disorders Treatment Programmes
• Guided and Self-guided Psychoeducation and Training Programmes

Our team understand eating disorders. With extensive knowledge and experience, our staff provide the necessary experience to be able to operate effectively, whilst relying on the help and support provided by our wonderful volunteers.

Our workforce team comprises of staff members, freelancers, volunteers and trustees. Together, we drive the charity forward and deliver our mission.