Southampton Peer Support Network for People with Eating Disorders and their Carers

An opportunity has arisen to engage a Lead Associate to work with the Options Wellbeing Trust wider management and business development team to establish and implement the Southampton Peer Support Network for People with Eating Difficulties and their Carers.

Hours per week – 6.5
Experienced Associate rate- £20ph
Time Scales - 1 year (1st April 2022-31st March 2023)

We are seeking an experienced counsellor who can help us implement this newly funded project. You need to have a special interest in eating disorders and eating difficulties and be experienced in working with the issues and factors that impact a person’s ability to cope and manage these presenting behaviours.

We will be networking with and involving key stakeholders in Southampton as well as working alongside tastelife which is a charity that supports sufferers of eating disorders and their carers as well as people who have eating difficulties.

The lead Associate role for this project will require some consistency and flexibility due to quieter holiday periods and busier phases of the project such as when delivering training and attending events/campaigns. Also, some tasks will only be during the implementation phase, and others ongoing.

As this is a new opportunity, we envisage the Lead Associate would assist with specific tasks such as:

• Supporting the development of the Peer Support Network standard operating processes
• Networking with key stakeholders
• Supporting activity to consult and co-produce with key stakeholders and those in Southampton with Lived experience of eating difficulties
• Working with the Senior Business Development Officer on marketing and PR of the network through all appropriate channels
• Support development of the Volunteer Peer Supporter roles (VPSs)
• Supporting recruitment, screening, and training of Volunteer Peer Supporters (VPSs) (working and training with tastelife)
• Recruiting clinical supervisors and organising regular 1:1 and group reflective supervision for VPSs
• Matching VPSs to online, group, or 1:1 buddying roles
• Be the initial point of contact for VPSs generally and if an issue of risk or safeguarding arise
• Support the planning of the online, group, and 1:1 buddy systems within the network in terms of activity, engagement, and interaction together with VPSs
• Ensure all recording and administration of the network is regularly updated
• Reporting information, data on all network activities around impact and outcomes
• Supporting the update of the risk and issue log from all network activities
• Any other tasks or activities that arise from learning from the implementation and delivery phases of the project

The Lead Associate Counsellor will be engaged on an Options Wellbeing Trust Associate contract. They will receive paid clinical supervision/project supervision and liability for clients will be held with Options Wellbeing Trust.