Job responsibilities
JOB PURPOSE
You will work as part of a
multi-disciplinary team providing psychosocial support to Hospice patients,
families and carers and bereaved relatives.
To deliver interventions where high-level
assessment, problem solving and decision-making skills will be required.
You will engage with
colleagues, patients, patients families and carers, volunteers, supporters
and visitors.
ROLE OF DEPARTMENT
The aim of the Family Support
Service is to provide high quality support for people and their families who
are experiencing challenging life circumstances related to a palliative
diagnosis. This work aims to encourage advance care planning, enabling
patients to remain in their identified preferred place of care, whilst avoiding
unnecessary admission to hospital. The Family Support Service is also
responsible for the bereavement support provided to those bereaved whilst
receiving Hospice support.
The service provides high
quality, comprehensive education, for health and social care professionals and
patients/carers, facilitating an improved understanding of palliative care/
carer support need/bereavement needs, the value of early implementation of a
palliative care approach and recognition of the importance of advance care
planning
Contribute to the campaign to
raise public awareness relating to death and dying, supporting families to
have difficult and sensitive discussions and address the issue of advanced
care planning.
Support and facilitate choice
and the fulfilment of the wishes of people with a palliative diagnosis.
SCOPE AND RANGE
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing a
specialist palliative care social work service to Hospice patients, their
families and carers.
Support Hospice patients, families and carers with the
practical and emotional implications of facing a life-limiting illness.
Support any children or young people within the family with
the emotional implications of a loved ones diagnosis and subsequent
death.
Support Hospice patients, families and carers in making
decisions about their future needs as they adjust to a new and changing
situation and offer appropriate interventions. This includes work with
Hospice patients, families and carers coming to terms with the illness and
possible death of someone close.
To work in collaboration to deliver sustained improvements
in performance, quality and consistency of practice across the team. Thereby achieving the best outcomes
possible.
To develop innovative ways of working to ensure positive
outcomes for those receiving the service
To represent and promote the service in relevant multi
agency meetings;
To ensure effective partnership working and engagement to
achieve and deliver these objectives
To engage in the strategic development of the Team and
Service
MAIN TASKS, DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
DIRECT
WORK
Assess the needs of the bereaved, and provide bereavement
support to individuals, families, children/young people and groups as
appropriate.
Complete a holistic assessment of need, and formulate a
plan to address those needs, in collaboration with Hospice patients, families,
carers, and other service providers.
To formulate, design and deliver expert evidence-based
interventions
To
build a professional relationship with service users and their families and
to use that relationship to safeguard and promote positive outcomes
To
communicate effectively with service users and their families, ensuring that
their views and wishes are heard and recorded accurately, and plans reflects
their views
To
establish rapport and build a respectful, honest and trusted relationship
with service users and their families, in order to identify and reduce risk
in line with safeguarding procedures
To
understand and respect the rights of service users
To
support the completion of good quality assessments and the analysis of risk
through the use of best practice guidance
Facilitation
of group work relevant to the service provision and identified need.
Maintain accurate and appropriate records, including the
computerised database, and provide reports and statistics as required.
LEADERSHIP
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Act as a champion of best practice by playing a
leadership role in social work practice within the organisation.
To provide professional
supervision and appraisal to members of the team to achieve service aims and
objectives.
To support team members in
meeting continuous professional development and improvement requirements in
line with Social Care Wales registration.
Act as a guardian of professional codes of practice
within the organisation.
To support and implement changes in methods and approaches to work as may be required.
PRACTICE, EDUCATION & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
To take personal
responsibility for keeping up to date with legislation, research findings and
practice knowledge, including attendance at appropriate training;
Contribute to training and practice development
Contribute to qualifying and post qualifying
social work education curricula development and in the promotion of the
Social Work Career Pathway
Provide training within the team and clinical
services
Acting as a Practice Teacher/Assessor,
PQ Award Mentor or other formal role to support the provision of learning
opportunities
To
comply with Gwent Safeguarding Boards Safeguarding procedures and practice
To
ensure the maintenance of such records and management information systems as
appropriate
Facilitate
training and education to wider stakeholders, in line with funding acquired
within the service
Evaluate the effectiveness of social work practice, and
participate in multi-disciplinary audit.
Critically evaluate research and assist in the
implementation of evidence-based best practice in all aspects of patient
care.
Promote a learning environment which actively facilitates
learning and structured personal development for health and social care
professionals.
Have a commitment to lifelong learning and continue to
undertake own professional development in accordance with codes of practice
of relevant professional bodies, Social Care Wales and the Social Services
and Wellbeing act.
Participate in/contribute to relevant research projects.
EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY
Post holder will be provided
with a mobile telephone, laptop, and guardian 24 device for lone working.
SYSTEMS
The post holder will be
responsible for working within the policies and procedures of the
organisation and will be responsible for updating policies relevant to the
service area.
The employee handbook will be
provided which will outline all relevant policies and processes.
DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
High-level assessment, problem solving
and decision-making skills will be required.
Decision making undertaken with a person
centred and evidence based approach utilising robust outcome measures.
PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Physical Effort
Time spent at desk, attending
meetings, training and supervision. This will be shared with time spent
visiting and undertaking assessments within the community in individuals
homes.
There is a requirement that the
post holder will drive.
Mental Effort
Be expected to deal with
frequent interruptions due to the unpredictability of the work and service
user group.
Be required to exert prolonged
periods of concentration during assessments, report writing and
documentation.
Problem solving for service users,
their family members and carers who have complex needs.
Emotional Effort
Frequently work with service
users and their carers who sometimes exhibit challenging and emotional
behaviours and will potentially be exposed to distressing and emotional circumstances.
To support Hospice patients,
families and carers in making decisions about their future needs as they
adjust to a new and changing situation, and offer appropriate interventions.
This includes work with Hospice patients, families and carers coming to terms
with the illness and possible death of someone close.
MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
Working within the charity sector having to liaise with
statutory services to actuate change;
Working within a palliative and end of life care
environment where death and dying is a
Regular
feature of the role.
Working within a fast paced and ever changing clinical
environment.
Managing safeguarding concerns.
