What’s involved?
Being a Linkworker involves going into local services and offering a listening ear to people using that service. By listening to people’s experiences, you can get a good picture of what is working well in that service, as well how it could be improved and made better for service users.
Linkworkers play a vital role in supporting people to talk about their mental health journey and their experiences of services. Because we’ve all had our own experiences of mental health, often service user’s find it easier to give us frank and honest feedback about the service. For example, we’ve recently heard issues about service users being concerned over benefits and entitlements, suggesting that services need to be more pro-active in signposting people to welfare and benefits support. As we’re able to feedback these issues to the service managers, the idea is that the service gradually improves for everyone who is using it.
As a ‘Linkworker’ you will represent the voice of service users that you come into contact with during Linkworking. You will need to be able to:
Attend regular bi-monthly Croydon User Council (CUC) meetings at our offices in South Croydon. Sometimes we will need to hold special sub groups to focus on particular issues or concerns.
We will invite representatives from commissioner, Croydon CCG and Council, and service providers SLaM (the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust) to hear your views of services.
We are looking to positively affect the recovery mental health service users and shorten their time in inpatients services and help them to navigate services through to an improved mental health and wellbeing.
As a representative from the Croydon’s mental health service user community you will act as the voice for local people accessing services. Although it is important to bring your experience as a service user to these meetings it is vital that you are you are able to represent a range of service user issues.
Key Experiences and abilities of Linkworkers are:
Personal experience of receiving mental health services in Croydon preferably within the past 2 years
Knowledge of Croydon’s Mental Health Services
Ability to listen and understand issues that affect Croydon’s Mental Health Community of Croydon’s Mental Health Community
Be able to represent the views and have the ability to raise issues that affect Croydon’s Mental Health Community to commissioners and service providers
An interest in helping to improve the quality of care, support and culture of Croydon’s Integrated Mental Health Services
Ability to make a positive contribution to discussions and meetings
An ability to convey information back to the council from commissioners and service providers
Hear Us works toward eliminating all forms of discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity for all
If you are interested in acting as a ‘Linkworker’ please contact Claire Hawkes or complete the following application form
