Peer Worker Apprentice

PEABODY TRUST

Basildon, Colchester

Closes in 14 days (Monday 6 April 2026)

Posted on 19 March 2026

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Summary

We’re looking for someone with lived experience of accessing services within your local area. From treatment providers for addiction, homelessness or preventing risk of homelessness or help to manage your physical and mental health. You’ll need compassion, enthusiasm and a desire to help others whilst using your own experiences.

Wage

£23,809.50 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Peer worker (level 3)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week, 9.00am - 5.00pm.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Tuesday 5 May 2026

Duration

1 year 3 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

This isn’t just a job - it’s a chance to use your lived experience to uplift others. Joining us as a Peer Worker Apprentice, you’ll help people feel heard, supported and understood at a time when it matters most. You’ll support individuals dealing with trauma, complex challenges, dual diagnosis or social isolation but you’ll never do it alone. You’ll be part of a compassionate, experienced team who will guide you as you learn, grow and contribute your unique perspective.

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

  • Pembroke house, 8 Northlands pavement, Basildon, SS13 3DU
  • The Octagon, 27 Middleborough, Colchester, CO1 1TG

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

PARAGON EDUCATION & SKILLS LIMITED

Training course

Peer worker (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Develop and maintain mutual and reciprocal peer relationships
  • Mutually establish the purpose and boundaries within the peer relationship
  • Engage with and support families and carers
  • Manage and prepare for the ending of the peer relationship
  • Purposefully share lived experience within the context of the peer relationship
  • Establish connections with the individual based on shared understanding of experiences
  • Model self-help and self-management approaches for the individual they are supporting
  • Support the individual to develop self-management and problem-solving skills
  • Support individuals to identify opportunities and overcome setbacks and challenges when trying to achieve self-defined goals
  • Support individuals to work toward self-defined goals using peer-based approaches in 1-to-1, drop-in or virtual settings
  • Support individual-led activities
  • Collaboratively discuss care and support options with the individual
  • Actively contributes to an individual’s care and goal plans with the individual
  • Sets up and work with groups to facilitate working toward individual or shared goals within the group setting
  • Support individuals to safely access support for their goals through digital platforms
  • Support the individual during changes in their life circumstances
  • Discuss concerns with the individual and when necessary raise any issues with an appropriate colleague or supervisor
  • Support the individual to self-advocate and through self-determination, make choices and control the care and support options open to them
  • Signpost to advocacy services
  • Support the individual to prepare for reviews and complete applications or referrals, e.g. housing, medication review, food bank, benefits
  • Identify new resources or community projects that could be accessed by individuals being supported
  • Raise awareness and understanding of the opportunities available to the individuals being supported
  • Act as a community connector to build links with community resources
  • Support individuals to navigate through systems to access support, signposting resources relevant to their circumstances and self-defined goals that they can access independently
  • Support co-production and delivery of learning and development activities to raise awareness and understanding of the Peer Worker’s role and remit
  • Use service development activities to tackle stigma and labelling to encourage culture change
  • Give presentations and deliver training to small groups
  • Promote the lived experience perspectives and concerns of the individual being supported across own workplace and other organisations and services
  • Promote and embed peer-based approaches in teams and services with which they work
  • Use meetings with other multi-disciplinary team members to facilitate understanding of the individual’s perspective and their rights
  • Work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team and other organisations or services
  • Positively challenge low expectations and discriminatory practice to influence system change and enhance services
  • Seek advice, support or assistance from the appropriate person when the limits of own responsibility and competence has been reached
  • Manage own time and work priorities, using resources effectively
  • Develop and maintain peer and professional networks
  • Actively participate in team and peer supervision
  • Reflect on and applies learning to practice
  • Recognise the importance of self-care, taking appropriate action when required
  • Participate in appraisal, personal development planning and continuous professional development
  • Identify risks and contribute to required risk assessments
  • Facilitate discussions with individuals and between the individual and the services they use on potential risks to their health and safety when working toward their self-defined goals
  • Promote positive risk taking and different perspectives on risk within the team
  • Take action in line with organisational policy where there are safeguarding concerns
  • Recognise high-risk situations and takes action in line with organisational policy
  • Adapt their communication to meet the needs of others
  • Support individual's who are experiencing distress
  • Provide relevant and supportive feedback to the individual in the peer relationship
  • Actively seek feedback from individuals or groups on the support provided
  • Maintain accurate records, ensuring where records are about the individual being supported, these are co-produced
  • Follow legal and organisational requirements when dealing with confidentiality, consent and information sharing
  • Develop and maintain mutual and reciprocal peer relationships
  • Mutually establish the purpose and boundaries within the peer relationship
  • Engage with and support families and carers
  • Manage and prepare for the ending of the peer relationship
  • Purposefully share lived experience within the context of the peer relationship
  • Establish connections with the individual based on shared understanding of experiences
  • Model self-help and self-management approaches for the individual they are supporting
  • Support the individual to develop self-management and problem-solving skills
  • Support individuals to identify opportunities and overcome setbacks and challenges when trying to achieve self-defined goals
  • Support individuals to work toward self-defined goals using peer-based approaches in 1-to-1, drop-in or virtual settings
  • Support individual-led activities
  • Collaboratively discuss care and support options with the individual
  • Actively contributes to an individual’s care and goal plans with the individual
  • Sets up and work with groups to facilitate working toward individual or shared goals within the group setting
  • Support individuals to safely access support for their goals through digital platforms
  • Support the individual during changes in their life circumstances
  • Discuss concerns with the individual and when necessary raise any issues with an appropriate colleague or supervisor
  • Support the individual to self-advocate and through self-determination, make choices and control the care and support options open to them
  • Signpost to advocacy services
  • Support the individual to prepare for reviews and complete applications or referrals, e.g. housing, medication review, food bank, benefits
  • Identify new resources or community projects that could be accessed by individuals being supported
  • Raise awareness and understanding of the opportunities available to the individuals being supported
  • Act as a community connector to build links with community resources
  • Support individuals to navigate through systems to access support, signposting resources relevant to their circumstances and self-defined goals that they can access independently
  • Support co-production and delivery of learning and development activities to raise awareness and understanding of the Peer Worker’s role and remit
  • Use service development activities to tackle stigma and labelling to encourage culture change
  • Give presentations and deliver training to small groups
  • Promote the lived experience perspectives and concerns of the individual being supported across own workplace and other organisations and services
  • Promote and embed peer-based approaches in teams and services with which they work
  • Use meetings with other multi-disciplinary team members to facilitate understanding of the individual’s perspective and their rights
  • Work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team and other organisations or services
  • Positively challenge low expectations and discriminatory practice to influence system change and enhance services
  • Seek advice, support or assistance from the appropriate person when the limits of own responsibility and competence has been reached
  • Manage own time and work priorities, using resources effectively
  • Develop and maintain peer and professional networks
  • Actively participate in team and peer supervision
  • Reflect on and applies learning to practice
  • Recognise the importance of self-care, taking appropriate action when required
  • Participate in appraisal, personal development planning and continuous professional development
  • Identify risks and contribute to required risk assessments
  • Facilitate discussions with individuals and between the individual and the services they use on potential risks to their health and safety when working toward their self-defined goals
  • Promote positive risk taking and different perspectives on risk within the team
  • Take action in line with organisational policy where there are safeguarding concerns
  • Recognise high-risk situations and takes action in line with organisational policy
  • Adapt their communication to meet the needs of others
  • Support individual's who are experiencing distress
  • Provide relevant and supportive feedback to the individual in the peer relationship
  • Actively seek feedback from individuals or groups on the support provided
  • Maintain accurate records, ensuring where records are about the individual being supported, these are co-produced
  • Follow legal and organisational requirements when dealing with confidentiality, consent and information sharing

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade Grade 4 or C)
  • Maths (grade Grade 4 or C)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

About this employer

We’re responsible for 109,000 homes across London and the home counties. We also look after the community centres, play areas and green spaces that bring these areas to life. Our job is to keep these places well-maintained and provide reliable landlord services.

Beyond our role as a landlord, we provide specialist homes and care and support services that help around 25,000 vulnerable people. With carefully designed homes and tailored support, we help people build independence, stability and wellbeing in their daily lives.

We’re focused on listening to residents so we can deliver better services and better homes and places. Our local teams work closely with residents, councils and partners to tackle inequality, improve wellbeing and strengthen communities. Alongside this, we’re committed to play our part where we can in building more affordable homes which our communities need.

https://www.peabody.org.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

After completing the Peer Worker Apprenticeship, learners can progress into roles such as Peer Support Worker, Support Worker, or Recovery Worker within health, housing, or community services. With experience, there are opportunities to move into senior or specialist roles, including team leadership or areas like mental health and homelessness support. Apprentices can also continue into higher-level qualifications to further develop their career.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

PARAGON EDUCATION & SKILLS LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000022107.

Apply now

Closes in 14 days (Monday 6 April 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.