Pioneering apprenticeship at West Nottinghamshire College provides bright future for peer support

Launched in May last year, the programme is the first of its kind in Nottinghamshire and provides a unique opportunity for individuals with lived experience to develop essential skills for supporting others.

The partnership between the Mansfield college and healthcare trust aims to create a progressive career pathway for peer support workers – professionals who use their own experiences of health or social problems, and of using services, to help others facing similar issues.

Developed in collaboration with a national trailblazer group led by Nottinghamshire Healthcare, the 18-month programme from the institute for apprenticeships covers a wide range of peer support roles in health, justice, charitable and education sectors.

The college is one of only four in the country appointed to provide the training element and there are 12 apprentices that make up the first cohort in Nottinghamshire.

Eight of them work in peer support roles within the healthcare trust, two are employed by the college, and a further two work for the Hepatitis C Trust and Nottinghamshire Mind respectively.

In addition to gaining on-the-job experience, the apprentices have a proportion of their time dedicated to learning where they attend monthly classes at the college’s Derby Road Campus, Mansfield.

Joe Robinson-Durant is a peer support worker in Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust’s personality disorders hub, covering the mid Nottinghamshire area.

Joe’s role is as diverse as the individuals he supports.

He said: “Every relationship with the people I work with is different.

“Some just want to get out of the house and go for a coffee once a week.

“Others want to get back into employment or return to education.

“The goals of somebody’s personal recovery are so varied.

“That is why my role never really looks the same from day-to-day.”

The 31-year-old’s journey to becoming a peer support worker started when he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and other associated conditions, in his 20s after struggling with his mental health since his teenage years – experiencing numerous job changes, homelessness, a battle with drugs and multiple suicide attempts.

Joe’s involvement in the peer worker apprenticeship came soon after he joined the trust in February 2023, eagerly enrolling when the opportunity arose.

The programme provided a chance for Joe – already a qualified engineer – to revisit education with the intention of progressing to higher-level qualifications in peer support.

The apprenticeship structure includes monthly college attendance, six hours of protected independent learning each week, and practical experiences.

Joe values the extensive knowledge provided by the teaching team, composed of senior peers within the trust and teachers from the college, and appreciates the course’s practical focus on building networks and collaborative efforts.

He explained: “We are learning about the psychological models that underpin our role and where peer workers sit within the healthcare system.

“I’m also learning from the way other people on the apprenticeship do things, because everyone’s got different methods.

“And as well as physically doing the job, I try and do as much shadowing as I can with peer workers in other teams within Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust.”

Joe’s aspiration extends beyond personal development; he aims to showcase the value of the peer worker apprenticeship and hopes to see more individuals formalising their skills through this programme.

He said: “The feedback I get most from the people I work with is ‘you understand’.

“There is no judgement when you are talking to someone who’s had similar experiences.”

Another member of the cohort, supporting young care-leavers is giving Chloe Martin, peer mentor apprentice at West Nottinghamshire College.

Having spent most of her life in foster care until recently, 19-year-old Chloe is now supporting others going through similar experiences.

Chloe was just three-years-old when she and three siblings were taken into care, due to parental neglect.

She lived with three different foster families – the last one for 12 years.

Chloe said: “Growing up I struggled as I didn’t know how to process my emotions.

“In school I was disruptive when I didn’t understand something. I wasn’t a naughty child – I was traumatised, and people didn’t understand that difference.

“Living with a great foster family helped me be independent and learn how to live on my own, which I did once I turned 18.”

Chloe’s empathetic nature did not go unnoticed by her support coach at the college during her studies on a health and social care course.

Recognising her potential, Chloe was introduced to the peer support apprenticeship, which she found appealing and subsequently pursued after completing her college course.

After completing her health and social care course, Chloe continued with her studies at the college, progressing to a 10-week NHS support programme before beginning the peer worker apprenticeship last year.

Chloe works full-time while having six designated hours each week for study, involving self- research, observing others, writing a reflective journal, and logging activity supporting students, with assessments each term.

She said: “It’s helped me to work in a professional environment, using the recovery-focussed approach and learning in a person-centred way.

“I see myself as a ‘professional friend’, helping students to find their voice.”

Chloe’s empathy towards students with a similar background to hers shines through strongly.

“I knew that a job like this could be upsetting and I had to come to terms with the possibility of hearing things from students that could make me think of my own childhood,” she said.

Chloe added: “I made sure I had a good network of support in place, just in case anything did bother me and I needed to talk.”

Chloe finds many rewards in using her life experiences to help others.

She said: “My job brings young people together to make them realise they’re not alone and that there are others in the same situation.

“I love to see how much progress students make after just a few months.”

Jen Guiver, executive director of people and culture at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As we mark National Apprenticeship Week 2024, I am thrilled to celebrate the remarkable success of our peer support worker apprenticeship in partnership with West Nottinghamshire College.

“This trailblazing apprenticeship, the first of its kind, provides an opportunity for individuals with lived experience to draw on their own mental health experiences to support others.

“As an organisation, we currently employ over 75 peer support workers, across many of our services, each contributing a wealth of valuable experience.

“Through collaboration with the college and peer support workers, we are proud to see the journey of individuals like Joe Robinson-Durant, whose dedication and commitment reflects the very ethos of the NHS – I extend my best wishes to all 12 apprentices as they continue their

studies.”

Louise Knott, vice-principal at West Nottinghamshire College, said: “The college prides itself on having strong partnerships with local employers and this apprenticeship is a perfect example of how these can have such a positive impact.

“We are so proud to have worked with Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust to get this unique apprenticeship up-and-running.

“Chloe, as our peer support worker apprentice, has been an invaluable asset to our welfare team in providing support and guidance, and bringing her own lived experience, to help our care- experienced young people.

“We are exploring other areas where these roles may add value to the service we provide to our students and I am excited to see where our pioneering work will take us in the future.”