Senior Peer Support Officer

Job description

Background

Bipolar UK is the only national charity dedicated to empowering individuals and families affected by bipolar. Peer support is at the core of our work. We empower approximately 1,000 people a month to stay well - and we have the ambition to reach thousands more.

Bipolar does not discriminate on the grounds of sex, gender, age, ethnicity, race or background, consequently it affects everyone, and we estimate that one million people in the UK live with the condition many of whom remain undiagnosed, that's 1 in 50.  The condition also increases the risk of suicide by 20 times.  Bipolar impacts on relationships, missed milestones for young people with their peers, education, economic stability and employment, and creates social and economic problems and debt for those affected through symptomatic overspending.  Therefore, Bipolar UK are working hard to improve diagnosis times and support pathways to enable individuals affected by the condition to live well and fulfil their potential. At the heart of this is our peer support enabling our community to access tools and support to manage their condition.

About the role:

Bipolar UK is delighted to have this post funded through a new grant and we are seeking to recruit a Senior Peer Support Officer to work 3-days per week.

We are looking for an experienced person who is familiar with peer support and lived experience models to support and engage members of our London community who are affected by bipolar from a range of backgrounds.

Your role will include managing volunteers, increasing engagement in local existing support groups and developing new ones.  Working with our self-management trainers to run psycho-education courses.  The role will require you to work across London both online via Teams and Zoom and in-person.

This new post is an exciting addition to our team as we are seeking to increase awareness across racialised and minoritised communities and improve access to peer support for people affected by bipolar commencing with a new steering group.

Bipolar UK is committed to equality and diversity, and we welcome applications from anyone who would like to join a growing organisation with big ambitions and an inclusive approach without fear of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodivergence, gender, age, lived experience of mental health problems.

We look forward to hearing from you.