Job summary
The East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) Crisis Caf is a welcoming, trauma-informed, and recovery-focused out-of-hours service designed for adults facing emotional distress or mental health crises. This compassionate alternative to Accident and Emergency departments provides immediate support, including de-escalation, safety planning, and guidance toward appropriate resources.

Operating during evenings and weekends, the Crisis Caf ensures that the successful candidate will work during these times. The service caters to a diverse range of individuals, from those already connected to secondary mental health services to first-time seekers of support. People can drop in whenever they are grappling with overwhelming stress, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, feelings of social isolation, or other significant life challenges.

The environment is intentionally non-clinical and psychologically safe, offering a calm and respectful space where individuals can openly discuss their experiences and find practical ways to move forward. While the atmosphere is informal and supportive, the service maintains clear professional boundaries and strong risk-management procedures to guarantee the safety and well-being of all who visit. The ideal candidate will draw on their own lived experiences of mental health challenges and recovery to provide hope, empathy, and understanding to those at critical moments.

Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities

• Provide one-on-one and group peer support to individuals visiting the Crisis Caf.
• Facilitate recovery-focused groups that encourage personal growth.
• Take the lead in gathering information about local services available to peers.
• Use your lived experiences thoughtfully to inspire hope and illustrate that recovery is achievable.
• Assist with emotional regulation, grounding techniques, safety planning, and immediate coping strategies.
• Identify and raise safeguarding concerns and risks according to service protocols.
• Keep accurate and timely documentation in relevant records or electronic systems.
• Collaborate effectively with clinicians, peer colleagues, and partner organizations.
• Champion co-production and actively involve service users in the process.
• Participate in supervision sessions, peer group supervision, and mandatory training.
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives and the development of services.

This role is ideal for someone who can stay composed under pressure, communicate with empathy, and draw on their personal recovery journey and resilience to support others on their healing paths. The successful candidate will need to have completed the ELFT Accredited Peer Support Worker Training.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job responsibilities
Co-production is one of the foundations at ELFT, and you will work closely with experts-by-experience, local communities, and Community and Voluntary and Social Enterprises to co-produce and co-develop services. Other key tasks will involve partnership working and liaising with various stakeholders in the system, e.g., GPs, primary and secondary care mental health services, colleges and universities, and the 3rd sector. The post-holder will also be involved in raising awareness of the complexity of the health and social challenges many people face, and of the impact this has on mental health & well-being, and vice versa. A key aim of the service is to help people build resilience, feel more connected to their community, and instill a sense of belonging.

Person Specification
Communication skills
Essential

• Excellent written communication skills
• Excellent understanding of of non verbal communication
• Good level of IT skills

Desirable

• Knowledge of SOAP note writing
• knowledge of motivational interviewing skills

skill base
Essential

• ELFT Peer Support Training
• Lived Experience within Mental Health
• additional training
• experience of working with service users, using lived experience to help others

Desirable

• Experience of using Crisis Services with ELFT
• Experience of attending working together sessions

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details
Employer name: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Crisis Cafe C&H Centre for mental health, Homerton Row, London, E9 6SR, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Borough Lead Occupational Therapist, Katie Williams, katie.williams18@nhs.net, 02085108630