Family Link Worker – Young People & Transitions
OVERVIEW OF ROLE:
Families caring for children with life-shortening and highly complex health conditions tell us their lives can feel really challenging and chaotic. Accessing and navigating palliative care or help with symptom management, dealing with multiple agencies and health professionals alongside practical issues around finances, getting the right equipment or adapting the home can be exhausting, stressful and scary.
Forget Me Not children’s hospice has been here for over 10 years, providing CQC-rated outstanding support for children and families across West Yorkshire. But we want to do more to enable families to live well. We are developing new ways to assess and meet families’ needs to ensure every member of each family gets the support they need at the right time. And that’s where you come in.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Skills and experience
Essential:
• Experience of working with families and children with complex needs in a professional setting such as early years, education, health or social care
• Experience of managing a complex caseload, where competing demands and constant interruptions to the work pattern, require the workload to be prioritised
• Understanding of the work of a children’s hospice and the need for specific care of children and young people
• Understanding of the key aspects of family support including support for parent / carers, grief, loss and bereavement
• Proven track record of engaging with families from diverse cultural, ethnic and faith backgrounds, with a strong understanding of how cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs may influence care, communication and support needs
• Able to work in a palliative care environment inc bereavement suite support.
• Knowledge of current legislation relating to babies, children & young people including best practice in safeguarding children
• Ability to work within community settings, meeting professionals and leaders of community groups
• Proven track record of reliability
• Evidence of a good standard of written and effective oral communication skills
• IT literate (e.g. word processing, email, recording systems)
• Able to interpret and follow written instructions, such as care plans
• Enthusiastic and confident approach to work
• Good teamwork and ability to support other team members
• Understanding of evidence-based practice
• Able to work independently and in partnership with members of the Multidisciplinary Care Team
• Able to prioritise work and effectively manage time
• Ability to set and maintain professional boundaries with staff, children, family and visitors
• Positive attitude towards change
• Able to work flexibly including occasional evening and weekend work
• Able to act on own initiative in delivering care, recognising when to seek supervision and advice from a more experienced member of the team.
Desirable:
• Ability to speak additional community languages.
• Experience of working in a palliative care service and providing community care services
• Knowledge of the wide range of services available to children and families in the locality
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care principles
• Experience of training others
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Understanding and experience of managing safeguarding concerns, including following safeguarding referral processes and liaising with social care professionals
• Knowledge of different multi-agency assessments inc. housing, mobility, adaptations, social care assessments and education assessments.
• Experience of person-centred planning
Education / qualifications
Essential:
• NVQ level 3 (health and social care) qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable:
• Childcare and Learning Development (CCLD)/CHCHE/ BTEC/NVQ level 3, or equivalent
• Counselling qualification / Counselling/bereavement course
• Advanced communication training
• Additional community language(s)
• Degree in a relevant subject
As this role involves working out in the community, you will need to have a full, clean driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.
This role will some involve evening and weekend work to best support the needs of families.
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.
Please view and apply for the role here: https://forgetmenot.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=6c238e0d-e2cf-40b4-be92-614d02e1e3bc