Hours: 30 hours (must be able to work Mondays and Fridays)
Salary: £21,668.40 per annum
Contract: 6 months
Location: Based across Chichester district
West Sussex Mind Values: Excellence, Equitable, Open, Together, Curious, Unstoppable
National Mind Excellence Awards 2025: Winner for Equality & Diversity; Highly Commended for Effective Services
Overview:
You will be working with West Sussex Mind, alongside The Sanctuary in Chichester – supporting asylum seekers with their mental health across Chichester district. The work will be primarily working with women based within Asylum Seeker accomadation within Chichester but will also include some outreach in to the community.
This is a supervised learning role and you will be supported in your service user work. We will offer you training, shadowing, mentoring and development opportunities as well as regular line management support and supervision.
There may also be an opportunity to progress in to other roles at the end of the internship.
West Sussex Mind (WS Mind) aims to raise awareness, increase understanding of and reduce stigma around mental health in communities in West Sussex. To be effective at this the charity understands that it needs to target resources and effort to reach groups and communities where support around this is most needed. Alongside this WS Mind is also striving to reach individuals, groups and communities who may feel excluded and are not currently accessing existing mental health advice, information and support in an effective way.
The intern will be given training, mentoring and shadowing be able to deliver:
· One-to-one mental health and wellbeing support to service users
· Work with groups to provide mental health support
· Work with our training team to set up mental health awareness training to support the development of Sanctuary in Chichester staff and volunteers around working with people experiencing poor mental health and encouraging wellbeing and self-care practice
· Support asylum seekers to navigate the local mental health system including accessing West Sussex Mind, other Pathfinder services or statutory services
· Provide outreach work required in the local community, particularly in Tangmere and Bracklesham Bay, alongside an experienced mental health recovery worker
· Develop links with recovery workers based in GP surgeries and support asylum seekers in attending health checks, to include disclosure of mental health problems
We would love to hear from you if you:
· Have relevant experience or learning that demonstrates an interest in mental health and wellbeing
· Have an interest in working with people from different cultures and backgrounds
· Have a willingness to learn about the mental health challenges experienced by asylum seekers
· Really care about and want to make a difference around this issue
· Want to take the first step in a career in mental health after completing your studies
How to apply:
Please find below an application form, guidance notes and job description.
If you would like to have an informal discussion prior to applying, please contact Stuart Ruffell on stuart.ruffell@westsussexmind.org to arrange this.
Closing date: 9:00am on Monday 5th October 2026
Interview date: TBC
Please email completed applications to: people_team@westsussexmind.org
Please note we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post, you must therefore be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time once we receive sufficient applications and encourage all interested applicants to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
No agencies or CVs
West Sussex Mind is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff, and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. Here is a link to our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion statement - West Sussex Mind | Equality, diversity and inclusion statement