Job summary
Permanent | 18 hrs per week | Open to SCH Internal Applicants Only - Interview 24th September
We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Chaplain to join our dedicated multi-faith and belief Chaplaincy Team at Sheffield Children's.
Our Chaplaincy Team provides pastoral, spiritual, ethical, and religious care to patients, families, staff, and students of all faiths, beliefs, and none. You will be an autonomous practitioner, offering support across the Trust and contributing to training initiatives.
You'll work with a small, supportive team of chaplains, volunteers, and students, and collaborate with local faith and belief communities to ensure inclusive and responsive care.
We're looking for someone who is:
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Deeply rooted in their own faith or belief tradition, with accreditation/licencing to practise.
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Experienced in pastoral care, ideally with a background in healthcare chaplaincy.
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Comfortable working generically across faiths and beliefs in a multi-faith environment.
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Passionate about making a transformative difference in the lives of children, families, and staff.
Main duties of the job
Reporting into the Lead Chaplain, your responsibilities will include:
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Provide spiritual, pastoral, and religious support to patients, families, and staff.
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Respond to referrals and offer open/generic chaplaincy care.
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Lead and support religious rites and services, including sacraments, naming ceremonies, and bereavement support.
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Collaborate on commemorative and festival events within the hospital.
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Mentor and support chaplaincy volunteers and students.
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Collaborate with local faith and belief communities to ensure continuity of care.
If you're ready to bring your compassion, experience, and faith or belief to a place where it truly matters, we'd love to hear from you.
About us
At Sheffield Children's, our purpose is clear: to provide healthier futures for children and young people. Our three strategic aims are Outstanding Patient Care, Brilliant Place to Work, and Leaders in Children's Health.
We work with partners across local, regional, and national levels to deliver physical and mental healthcare in both acute and community settings. Many of our clinicians are nationally and internationally recognised for their expertise.
We're proud that 73% of colleagues would recommend Sheffield Children's as a place to work, placing us among the top five NHS trusts in England -- and the top-ranked trust in the North East and Yorkshire -- in the latest NHS Staff Survey.
Our nearly 4,000 colleagues bring our CARE values -- Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence -- to life every day, creating a kind, welcoming environment where patients and families feel safe and supported.
As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2026, we're excited to keep building our leadership in children's health, improve experiences for patients and staff, and focus on our communities and population health.
We also offer excellent benefits to support your wellbeing, with generous annual leave and pension schemes, health and wellbeing programmes, and exclusive discounts -- helping you thrive at work and beyond.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information on the main responsibilities for this post, please refer to the job description and person specification.
Please note that Sheffield Children's uplift pay to meet the Real Living Wage, which is £12.60 per hour.
Diversity Statement
At Sheffield Childrens, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity and supports everyones success. We prioritise Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our recruitment practices, creating a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ members.
Recognising that inclusivity is an ongoing effort, we review our processes and welcome feedback to enhance our practices. A diverse team strengthens our organisation and the quality of care we deliver. For ideas on how we can improve, please contact our Recruitment Manager at scn-tr.recruitment.team@nhs.net. Together, were building a workplace where everyone belongs.
#LI-Onsite
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information on the main responsibilities for this post, please refer to the job description and person specification.
Please note that Sheffield Children's uplift pay to meet the Real Living Wage, which is £12.60 per hour.
Diversity Statement
At Sheffield Childrens, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity and supports everyones success. We prioritise Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our recruitment practices, creating a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ members.
Recognising that inclusivity is an ongoing effort, we review our processes and welcome feedback to enhance our practices. A diverse team strengthens our organisation and the quality of care we deliver. For ideas on how we can improve, please contact our Recruitment Manager at scn-tr.recruitment.team@nhs.net. Together, were building a workplace where everyone belongs.
#LI-Onsite
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a subject relevant to healthcare Chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: theology, religious studies, pastoral care, psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.
- Authorisation to provide pastoral care from a community of faith or non-religious belief
- In good standing with a faith or belief group as defined by the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health.
Desirable
- MA or Postgraduate degree in a chaplaincy-related discipline
- Registration with the UK Board of Healthcare chaplaincy
- Member of the College of Health Care Chaplains and/or The Association for Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains
- Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Chaplaincy
Experience
Essential
- Approximately 1600hrs of professionally supervised clinical practise as a designated healthcare chaplain
- Effective performance as a healthcare chaplain working in a healthcare chaplaincy department. Professionally supervised clinical practice as a designated healthcare chaplain that must include: i. on-call duties ii. neonatal care iii. palliative and end of life care. b. Capability of dealing with ethical issues related to chaplaincy practice c. Experience of preparing and delivering training material on spiritual and pastoral care.
- Capability of working with and respecting religious, spiritual and pastoral diversity and differences
- Experience of working with and supervising volunteers.
Desirable
- Active work (e.g., a project) with people from diverse faith and belief backgrounds
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Evidence of continuous professional development in subjects specifically relevant to healthcare Chaplaincy, e.g. communication skills, mental health, ethics, teaching etc
- Professional practice skills and competencies including: o Triage and the management of a complex caseload and on-call duties o Rituals that mark life events o Staff support individually and in groups o Hospital funerals o Memorial events
- Rites & ritual skills and competencies relevant to the post appropriate to one's faith or belie
- Effective pastoral functioning in a healthcare setting
- Create and lead ritual in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief needs of those present
- Management of department caseload and own schedule
- Ability to work collaboratively and sustain positive working relationships with colleagues
- Confident in working effectively with the diversity of service users across faith and belief categories
- Effective IT skills
- Supervision skills
- Ability to deliver training at a variety of levels
- Awareness of the contexts affecting service development
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge of ethical issues relating to health care
Desirable
- Research Activity
- Post-basic training in pastoral care or leadership
- Specialist chaplaincy training by a recognised provider.
- An area of expertise in spiritual care e.g., end of life care
- Theoretical knowledge and understanding of ethical issues relating to health care
- Knowledge and understanding of faith and belief traditions
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to reflect critically upon the experiences of self and others
- Critical thinking and judgement
- Confident in working effectively with the diversity of service users across faith and belief categories
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a subject relevant to healthcare Chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: theology, religious studies, pastoral care, psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.
- Authorisation to provide pastoral care from a community of faith or non-religious belief
- In good standing with a faith or belief group as defined by the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health.
Desirable
- MA or Postgraduate degree in a chaplaincy-related discipline
- Registration with the UK Board of Healthcare chaplaincy
- Member of the College of Health Care Chaplains and/or The Association for Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains
- Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Chaplaincy
Experience
Essential
- Approximately 1600hrs of professionally supervised clinical practise as a designated healthcare chaplain
- Effective performance as a healthcare chaplain working in a healthcare chaplaincy department. Professionally supervised clinical practice as a designated healthcare chaplain that must include: i. on-call duties ii. neonatal care iii. palliative and end of life care. b. Capability of dealing with ethical issues related to chaplaincy practice c. Experience of preparing and delivering training material on spiritual and pastoral care.
- Capability of working with and respecting religious, spiritual and pastoral diversity and differences
- Experience of working with and supervising volunteers.
Desirable
- Active work (e.g., a project) with people from diverse faith and belief backgrounds
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Evidence of continuous professional development in subjects specifically relevant to healthcare Chaplaincy, e.g. communication skills, mental health, ethics, teaching etc
- Professional practice skills and competencies including: o Triage and the management of a complex caseload and on-call duties o Rituals that mark life events o Staff support individually and in groups o Hospital funerals o Memorial events
- Rites & ritual skills and competencies relevant to the post appropriate to one's faith or belie
- Effective pastoral functioning in a healthcare setting
- Create and lead ritual in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief needs of those present
- Management of department caseload and own schedule
- Ability to work collaboratively and sustain positive working relationships with colleagues
- Confident in working effectively with the diversity of service users across faith and belief categories
- Effective IT skills
- Supervision skills
- Ability to deliver training at a variety of levels
- Awareness of the contexts affecting service development
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge of ethical issues relating to health care
Desirable
- Research Activity
- Post-basic training in pastoral care or leadership
- Specialist chaplaincy training by a recognised provider.
- An area of expertise in spiritual care e.g., end of life care
- Theoretical knowledge and understanding of ethical issues relating to health care
- Knowledge and understanding of faith and belief traditions
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to reflect critically upon the experiences of self and others
- Critical thinking and judgement
- Confident in working effectively with the diversity of service users across faith and belief categories
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
