Lancashire Peer Supporter

Job Title: Lancashire Peer Supporter (Central Region)

Salary: £20,820 (£10,410 Actual)

Working Hours: 17.5 hours Per weeks (Fixed Term contract until 31st March 2027)

Location: Lancashire (Central) based with some home working, Monday,  Tuesday, Thursday (09:00- 15:00)                   

Benefits: NCT membership with access to exclusive benefits, pension scheme,30 days annual leave plus 8 bank and public holiday.

About us at the NCT

A lot of people know NCT for our antenatal classes, and we want to continue to support as many parents and families as we can to access evidence-based information. But we are also much more than this. We are a charity that campaigns on the issues that matter to parents. We run breastfeeding and infant feeding support, provided by specialist counsellors. We run thousands of free community activities and events across the UK, led by our fantastic volunteers and peers. And we support women and families facing specific challenges, such as social isolation, feeding difficulties or poor mental health.

Our Lancashire Infant Feeding Support project is commissioned by Lancashire Council, to offer infant feeding support across the region in both community and hospital settings. The support is delivered by staff and volunteer peer supporters.

We are seeking a capable Peer Supporter who will support parents at Preston Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital and at various community settings in Lancashire and offer support in service user homes. This role will mainly be based at out in the community, with some homeworking (expenses will be reimbursed).

About the Role

You will be responsible for offering breastfeeding support for parents within Preston Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital and the community.

Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
 

·       Providing breastfeeding support to families on the wards at the hospitals, in service user homes and community settings within Lancashire.

·       Support in delivering inductions for volunteer peer supporters. 

·       To report any concerns or additional support needs of women to the NCT management team and/or Infant Feeding Lead for referral onto partner agencies as appropriate.  

·       To attend regular supervision/support sessions. 

·       Having a good working knowledge and understanding of the local demographics in the Lancashire area and ensuring all support is accessible and inclusive.

·       Ensure that data collection and feedback is collected in a timely manner in an inclusive way.

You must have good communication skills and be able to build relationships and create a rapport with a wide range of people easily. This is a large project and covers multiple locations so you must be able to confidently prioritise your own work, be highly organised and able to work independently.

Being able to make decisions and respond appropriately to our staff, peer supporters and parents and other external stakeholders is essential, alongside good IT skills– including Outlook, Word and Excel – and you must have good attention to detail.
 
It is essential for this post that you undertake the training to become an NCT Breastfeeding Peer Supporter. This requires breastfeeding experience of at least 3 months. The training can be undertaken within your working hours.

The role is 17.5 hours per week which will be worked Monday Tuesday, Thursday 09:00 – 15:00. This will be split across the two hospitals, in service user homes and at community settings across Lancashire, however there is also some home-based working required.

About you

·       Are you willing to undertake our Peer Supporter training? (Requires minimum 3 months Breastfeeding Experience)

·       Can you work at pace and juggle a number of different priorities?

·       Are you passionate about supporting families to reach their parenting and feeding goals and contribute to their positive wellbeing?

·       Do you want to join an amazing Charity that supports parents across the UK?

·       Would you like to be part of an amazing team of passionate staff?

If so, please read the job description to find out more on the link here:
 
What we offer

We are taking positive action to increase diversity throughout our organisation, at all levels, and to nurture a culture of inclusion for all our people and the parents and families that we support. 

We are committed to zero discrimination both internally and externally regardless of visible or invisible difference such as sex, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, religion or belief, gender identity, economic class, marital/civil partnership, family status including single parents, socio-economic background and pregnancy and maternity.   We provide reasonable adjustments and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. 

We welcome and actively encourage applications from all candidates including those from under-represented groups within NCT such as individuals from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQI+ people and people with a disability. 

The welfare and safety of individuals is at the heart of everything that we do. NCT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Please apply for the role via our careers page .You can Also find further details and information on our website.

Closing date: 07/07/2024
 
Interviews: Week beginning 15/07/2024  

Interview format: Virtual video call – flexible around your working day. The interviews will be a mixture of open and competency-based questions, you do not need to prepare anything in advance.