Children's and Young Peoples Practitioner (CAFSS)

Job responsibilities

Summary of role:

To assess and support children, young people aged 5-18 years and their families, who have experienced a bereavement or who have a loved one with a life-limiting illness through one-to-one sessions or family sessions.

To work as member of the multi-disciplinary team providing specialist knowledge of the psychological, emotional and social needs of children and young people affected by a loved one who has a life-limiting illness or have experienced bereavement.

To support the provision of training internally and externally on the impact of bereavement on children and young people.

To assist with the training and supervision of volunteers within the service.

To support the planning and facilitation of groupwork for children, young people and families.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical

To act as a role model and provide pre and post bereavement support across The Shakespeare Hospice Childrens and Families Support Service.

Ability to engage and work with children and young people, parents and carers.

Ability to communicate with children and young people of differing ages, developmental level and background.

Knowledge and understanding of mental health problems in children, young people and adults.

To manage an active caseload of children, young people and their families who are dealing with the emotional consequences of somebody close to them having been diagnosed with a life limiting illness or having encountered a bereavement.

Awareness of the effects and risk of trauma in bereavement responses.

To provide specialist one to one intervention via multiple methods as appropriate to the individuals needs, including in person (this may be at the Hospice, within the Hospital, in a school, at the childs home), via videoconferencing, via telephone consultations.

To contribute to the planning, running of and facilitation of therapeutic groups and weekend workshops where appropriate

To provide appropriate advice and support to children, young people and their families and to signpost to other relevant services.

To take an active role in responding to new referrals and assessments.

To confidently identify and respond to the changing needs of the individual and their support network.

To support the wider Hospice team where necessary and appropriate; providing a point of escalation for the team.

To work with other providers to facilitate cross working opportunities as aligned to Hospice strategy and directed by the service lead.

To raise any areas of risk or concern in accordance with Hospice policy, and where appropriate to escalate, identified risks to external professionals with statutory authority where appropriate.

To identify safeguarding concerns for vulnerable individuals, reporting immediately to the Safeguarding Lead and Line Manager

To confidently liaise with other relevant professionals and statutory/voluntary organisations, as necessary, to facilitate additional support and/or signposting where beneficial to the individual and their support network.

To prioritise workload accordingly and to work flexibly to meet the changing needs of individuals, carers and The Hospice.

To work autonomously and confident in the identification of ones own personal limitations, drawing upon necessary support/guidance in the best interests of client outcomes.

To work in close partnership and collaboration with the local community and other service providers, where appropriate.

Participate in team meetings, one to one meetings with the line manager and other internal and external meetings relevant to the service.

To participate in appropriate regional or national working groups, including the Childrens Bereavement Network.

To be an educational resource to the overall Hospice team and to support the provision of training sessions as appropriate.

To provide an educational and support resource to local schools and external organisations where needed.

To utilise the Hospice electronic database (EMIS) to record all client activity.

To be responsible for completing contemporaneous and accurate records, including statistical information in accordance with Hospice practice.

Knowledge of, and ability to work with issues of confidentiality, consent, and capacity.

To ensure that all client information will be treated confidentially and in line with Hospice policy.

Act within the policies and codes of practice as laid down by the Hospice and own professional body.

To undertake regular managerial and clinical supervision in accordance with Hospice requirements and to attend organisational meetings as requested by line manager.

To maintain and update personal knowledge and to have an awareness of relevant guidelines, appropriate to the service.

To promote awareness of our services to improve access for children, young people and families.

Managerial

To support the Service Lead to manage and organise the daily running of the Childrens and Families Support Service caseload.

To support the Service Lead in managing the volunteer workforce.

To assist with monitoring and prioritising the volunteers caseload, to ensure effective service delivery.

To support the Service Lead in the recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers with the right skills to deliver organisational vision, aligned to the clinical strategy.

To support the management of the volunteer workforce; to ensure that volunteers are safely integrated, whilst recognising and responding to training needs as required.

To maintain a resource base for pre and post bereavement work with children and families, cascading information to colleagues and partners.

To be able to deal with difficult or challenging situations. To equally support the team with dealing with potential conflict.

To support other members of the wider Hospice team, including both staff and volunteers, with particular regard to the support of young people who may need to access the service.

To support the Service Lead in the planning and organisation of various events for children and families, which may involve working outside normal working hours.

To demonstrate proficient IT skills in order to maintain and develop data collection and reporting.

To share in the development of documents, reports and educational materials

To support the Service Lead as required with the development of presentations for various audiences, when such opportunities arise.

To support the Service Lead with audit and evaluation of the service, assisting with any service improvement plans that might be identified.

Organisation

To demonstrate on a day to day basis the values of The Hospice, acting as a role model to others.

To work in accordance with all Hospice policies and procedures.

To maintain confidentiality and safe data handling at all times.

To undertake administrative tasks for the purpose of the role.

To participate in The Hospice appraisal process, partaking in mutually agreed personal objectives plans.

On occasion to support other aspects of The Hospice, such as promotion of the charity and its services, through key events.

Educational

To adhere to all statutory and mandatory training requirements as designated by the organisation.

To be responsible for your own continuous professional development in keeping with any professional registration requirements.

To attend and participate in learning and development opportunities as deemed mutually beneficial for both yourself and the organisation.

To be involved in the induction programmes for new volunteers and staff members.

General

To undertake any other duties commensurate with the post and as requested by the Service Lead.

Where you are a member of a professional body you are required to conform with the professional standards set by that body.

This job description is subject to periodic review in negotiation with the post holder and may be revised/updated as service requirements change and develop.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant recognised professional qualification in health, education, social care or counselling
• Evidence of ongoing Continued Professional Development
• Maintained professional registration in accordance with professional background, i.e BACP, HCPC, NMC

Desirable

• Relevant recognised professional qualifications relating to bereavement and psychological and emotional care

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of working one-to-one with children and young people, preferably in a therapeutic or support setting.
• Experience of working with bereaved children and young people and/or families.
• Experience of supporting group work.
• Awareness of the effects and risk of trauma in bereavement responses.
• Ability to organise own work load, working both autonomously and part of a team.
• Experience of having worked as part of a multidisciplinary team.Experience of liaison and networking with statutory or voluntary organisations.
• Experience of having worked with volunteers.
• Ability to reflect and adapt practice to suit the individual clients needs.
• To advocate professionally on behalf of clients and their carers
• Experience of working with individuals who may be encountering high levels of distress
• Ability to support other members of staff and volunteers.
• Ability to identify risks, the need for escalation and risk management.
• Ability to motivate others
• Effective time management skills
• Knowledge
• Knowledge and understanding of issues related to loss and grief for children and young people.
• Understanding and awareness of a range of therapeutic interventions and techniques
• An awareness of the challenges of life-limiting illnesses for children, young people and their families
• Knowledge of child safeguarding and Gillick competence
• Knowledge surrounding the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Ability and confidence to apply and use own initiative
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development and the impact that bereavement may have on this.
• Excellent communication skills; both verbal and non-verbal.
• Supportive, empathic nature with the ability to relate to children and young people
• Ability and confidence to communicate identified concerns and risks effectively.
• To demonstrate an enthusiastic, approachable and friendly manner.
• Excellent and effective written communication.
• Personal Attributes
• Caring, compassionate and approachable.
• To be motivated, self-driven and enthusiastic
• To be a team player whilst also confident to work autonomously
• To be able to work under pressure.
• An ability to understand and work with conflict.
• To adopt an enabling and empowering approach.
• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality of opportunity and diversity procedures
• To be organised and reliable
• IT and computer literate.
• A commitment to self-care
• Commitment to the work and values of The Shakespeare Hospice
• Current Driving License and use of car for business purposes.
• To have some flexibility towards service requirements which on occasion may require working outside of standard hours.

Desirable

• Experience of working with bereaved children and young people with more severe or complicated problems with their grief.
• Experience of working within a voluntary organisation
• Experience of working within a healthcare organisation.
• Knowledge of appropriate support services and agencies in the community.
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Understanding of mental health problems in children and young people
• Experienced in having provided training to a range of professional groups. Understanding of the theories and best practice relating to loss and bereavement.
• Experience of providing support following a sudden death
• Specialist training in loss and bereavement interventions and techniques
• Specific training in the effects and risk of trauma in bereavement responses. Awareness of current and relevant issues in palliative care.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).