Job Title:Child and Family Support Practitioner

JOB DESCRIPTION

Hours:Fixed Term Contract until April 2017
22.5 hours per week

Reporting to:Senior Social Worker

Accountable to:Head of Family Support Service

Department:Bereavement Support South Worcestershire hosted by

the Family Support Service

Job summary:

To work as part of Bereavement Support South Worcestershire and the Family Support Service to provide specialist psychological, emotional and social support to bereaved children, young people and families within South Worcestershire.

Support to bereaved families will be undertaken both on a one to one basis

and through group work. The post holder will provide advice, support and education onbereavement to external agencies, including schools and other organisations supporting children.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

To be responsible for a caseload:-

To assess and support children, young people and their families experiencing the death of a parent or family member; provided through one to one sessions, family sessions or other more flexible approaches. To work in collaboration with other members of the team with the aim of ensuring that emotional, social and practical needs are met and that any risk factors are identified and minimised.
Providing psychological, emotional and practical support to patients and their families enabling families to understand a child’s grieving process and communicate more openly.
Assessing the needs of children, young people and families who are bereaved, offering intervention methods from a professional knowledge base to promote healthy grieving and coping strategies.
To offer and provide family support sessions for complex family situations where multiple losses or risk factors exist. To mediate or reduce family conflict, improve communications and identify coping strategies to support change.
To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team providing specialist knowledge of the psychological, emotional and social needs of children, young people and their families who are facing life threatening illness and bereavement. To provide support and guidance for those working with complex or high-risk family situations.

To help support the development of the Children and Families Service within the context of the wider development of Bereavement Support South Worcestershire and the Family Support Team.

To contribute to professionally recognised procedures and systems which ensure that best practice is upheld and the wellbeing and safety of children and young people is actively promoted.

To work with the Family Support Team and Bereavement Support South Worcestershire in implementing the Safeguarding Children legal framework as appropriate. To work with other team members to support Safeguarding Adults.

To link with external partnerships, e.g. schools and health professionals to increase understanding of those affected by terminal illness or bereavement.

To develop and promote group work alongside Bereavement Support South Worcestershire and the Family Support Team.

To attend multi-disciplinary team meetings as required and to liaise with relevant external bodies.

To comply with mandatory training requirements and contribute to the provision of sound information and training across the organisation.

To work with Bereavement Support South Worcestershire in developing and maintaining links with local and national organisations and professional bodies such as the Childhood Bereavement Network.

To utilise the database systems, keep professional and respectful notes and record all contacts regularly.

Education and Development:

To remain up to date on research and theories of intervention for bereaved children, young people and their families, including therapeutic support groups.

To provide specialist education, guidance and liaison with professionals working with bereaved children and young people supported by Bereavement Support South Worcestershire and St Richard’s Hospice and the wider community. To provide support and advice about resources as well as on-going consultation with Education, Health and Social Care partners.

To receive regular supervision and training to ensure on-going professional development.

To undertake mandatory in-house training on safeguarding, fire and safety, moving and handling and infection control.

To be aware of health and safety issues within the workplace and bring concerns to the attention of the Facilities Manager/Chief Executive.

To undertake annual IPR and respond to the agreed development plan.

General:

All staff employed by St Richard’s Hospice are bound by the Policies and Procedures within the organisation to include Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Confidentiality.

This job description is not exhaustive and will be reviewed annually at IPR by post holder and line manager

All staff are expected to work flexibly to accommodate service needs and provide cover in the absence of colleagues.

Signed……………………………………………Date………………………………

PERSON SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE:Children and Families Practitioner for Bereavement Service

Contractual Hours:22.5 per week

Responsible to:Senior Social Worker

Accountable to:Head of Family Support Service

Essential / Desirable
Education, Qualifications and Training / A relevant qualification in Health and Social Care
A relevant qualification in working with children and young people
Training in in Bereavement and Loss
Knowledge / Knowledge and
understanding of issues
relating to loss and grief
Knowledge of child development and impact of bereavement on this
Experience / Experience of assessing and working with bereaved children and families
Experience of facilitating support groups
Experience of developing and maintaining links with local and national organisations and professional bodies / Working in MDT Team environment.
Delivery of training to other professionals
Skills and Abilities / Active listening skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Good interpersonal skills in relating to a wide range of people
Competence in word processing, spreadsheets, databases and Power Point
Ability to be an effective team worker / Counselling skills
Personal Qualities and Aptitudes / Established self-care and management skills
A flexible approach to work and willingness to learn
An ability to work in children and young people holistically, flexibly and creatively.
Commitment to equal opportunity, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive principles and practice
Ability to travel independently throughout the county with current UK driving licence and access to vehicle
General Information / Review role and progress within this annually.
Review will be in line with St Richard’s Hospice Policy & Procedure.