Paediatric Diabetes Youth Worker

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a Youth Worker to the Paediatric Diabetes team within The Northern Care Alliance. The postholder will work across the areas of Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford as part of the multi-disciplinary team using specific skills to contribute to the non-clinical aspects of care for young people with diabetes, their families and carers.

The post holder will focus on ensuring young people will be effectively supported in the process of transition. This will involve engagement and communication with young people to support and develop positive self-care behaviours, promote engagement with the diabetes team and provide strategies to navigate health care systems for their long-term health needs.

The Youth Worker is an integral member of the diabetes clinical team and will work very closely with the Lead Nurses. Transition is the process whereby young people prepare for the transfer to adult services. The appointed candidate will play a key role in the 3 processes of transition; beginning of transition where the concept is introduced, the middle phase where the CYP and their family get actively into transition and the final phase when the CYP are integrated into adult service.

Communicating with young people is imperative within this role to support the young people's overall well-being, encompassing physical, mental and social health. The role will focus on empowering young people to manage their health conditions and navigate healthcare.

Main duties of the job

• Create and maintain relationships with patients, parent/carers.
• Direct supervision using experience and knowledge to ensure patients attend transition clinics
• Working alongside the young people, use informal or formal assessment to establish the needs of this patient group.
• Using these results, work closely with the healthcare team in establishing an appropriate response to support these young people
• To provide and lead recreational facilities and youth work activities for young people under the care of the diabetes team
• To devise and develop ways in which a peer group support can be achieved.
• Work with young people to prepare them for specific activities, treatment plans and transition to adult services.
• To coordinate and supervise social support networks to encourage social interaction and support to young people in order to aid adjustment to diagnosis.
• Provide active outreach to young people struggling to engage with health services
• To coordinate creative and therapeutic activities and implement a range of strategies. Liaise with complementary therapies, music workshop, community and youth groups to contribute to these strategies
• To develop collaborative projects with similar services, organisations, and other agencies and communities

About us

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we're always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Learn more about us in ourCandidate Information Pack (opens in existing window)