Peer Support Workers (PSWs) within mental health provide support, companionship and encouragement to people experiencing mental health difficulties, drawing upon their own lived 
experiences, or from caring for others experiencing mental health difficulties.
PSWs use their lived experience to connect with people and help them, by:
- Giving them a sense of hope and wellbeing
- Supporting them to gain a sense of control over their lives
- Helping them engage with and build connections and a sense of belonging to their local communities
- Helping them gain satisfaction in different parts of their lives
Workforce growth
The Mental Health Implementation Plan identifies opportunities for the growth of PSWs up until 2024 across the following areas: Perinatal Mental Health, Adult Severe Mental Illnesses (SMI) Community Care, Adult Crisis Alternatives and Problem Gambling Mental Health Support.
HEE is committed to growing the PSW workforce within these areas, and within any other mental health area where perceived need exists. The ambition is to support development of 4,730 PSWs nationally by 2023/24 and to grow PSW supervisor capacity and capability. Health and social care systems are encouraged to discuss their workforce needs and identify opportunities for expanding the numbers of PSWs and supervisors.
Places should be offered for upskilling existing PSWs, recently (within 1 year) and newly recruited PSWs in the following MH settings:
- Perinatal Mental Health
- Adult Severe Mental Illnesses (SMI) Community Care
- Adult Crisis Alternatives
- Problem Gambling Mental Health Support
- Children and Young People Mental Health
- Any other MH service area which has increased demand from service users (e.g. Eating Disorder)
Funding
HEE are offering a training grant to organisations – funding will be paid up to £3,485 per PSW, based on their employment status and tuition costs are paid directly to training provider. The training grant is the equivalent of payment at mid-point Agenda for Change band 3, plus 25% on-costs, for a seven week period (an average length of time for completion of PSW education).
£3,485 core funding for each PSW trainee provided to the employer – this is for employed and voluntary positions in NHSE/I organisations, NHSE/I commissioned services and VCSE supporting the delivery of MH services. Supervisor trainees will not receive this funding, but only tuition costs.
£1,500 tuition cost for each PSW trainee
£500 tuition cost for each PSW Supervisor trainee
Education commissioning
Education has been commissioned which encompasses the national Competence Framework for PSWs in Mental Health. Education will be accessed at no cost to the employer or PSW. Across the NW of England, there are 2 training providers who will be delivering this training:
- With You Consultancy
- ImRoc hosted at Nottinghamshire Health NHS
Start dates for the training are to be confirmed but once places have been allocated, the education provider will work with services to agree suitable dates, they are likely to be sometime between September 2022 and March 2023.
Deadline: 17 June 2022