Youth Support Co-ordinator for Young People
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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen at UCLH for a Youth Support Coordinator for Young People Services to join a highly respected play and youth services team. To be successful in this role, you will have a relevant qualification in youth work, or a qualified and registered Health Play Specialist, you will have extensive experience of working with children and/or young people in social or healthcare settings.
We are looking for an exceptional individual who would like an opportunity of working in a supportive and diverse team within the children and young people division.
The post holder will need to enjoy working with young people, be emotionally resilient to and have compassion, sensitivity and a sense of humour. To work within the busy young people service supporting both inpatient and outpatient settings .Supporting patients attending for clinic and treatment, you will be vital in reducing the anxiety surrounding hospital treatment and procedures. You will be proactive in creating and maintaining an age-appropriate environment throughout the young people’s area and facilitate group activities and individual therapeutic sessions with patients.
Main duties of the job
This post is an exciting and fantastic opportunity for you to expand your knowledge, skills and experience as a professional working with children and young people within a leading, award-winning play and youth team who support children and young people from 0 to 25 years.A team which is led by a supportive leadership team who are members of the governing bodies of play, striving to embed high quality specialised play practices on a national level. This post will help shape the delivery of services to children and young people within health and is an opportunity to expand your knowledge, skills and experience of working within young people in healthcare services.
You will need to have extensive, relevant experience of working with children and young people in a healthcare or social setting and be able to deal sensitively with families under stress. You will need to be able to engage easily with children and young people and be able to work effectively with your MDT colleagues to use therapeutic techniques creatively to enhance the children and young person’s hospital experience.You will work as part of a supportive team where play and recreation is valued and respected as an integrated part of young people’s treatment and your contribution to the patient’s pathway will be highly respected.
Working for our organisation
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas.Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
- University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
- University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
- Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
- University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
- University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women’s health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
The post holder will have responsibility to support and supervise junior members of staff and mentor students. This role will give the post holder the opportunity to develop leadership skills in organising staff rotas, assessing service needs and referrals.
The post holder will work alongside a team of play and recreation workers, play specialists and youth support co-ordinators for TYA cancer services who will support you in your role and the leadership team who will actively support your professional development.
The post holder will need to be able to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the service including some evening and weekend working.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
UCLH top trust to work at in England – for the second year running! : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the second year in a row.
UCLH top trust to work at in England – for the second year running! University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Once again, UCLH has received the highest score of all general acute and acute/community NHS trusts in England for staff that would recommend us as a place to work.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Person specification
Knowledge & Qualifications
Essential criteria- Registered & qualified Health Play Specialist holding the Foundation Degree in Health Care Play Specialism or previous HPSC/HPSEB, Edexcel PDC/HND in Hospital Play Specialism or oversees equivalent or a youth work qualification approved by the Education Training Standards (ETS) Committee of the National Youth Agency.
- Recent, comprehensive experience of working with children/ young people in a health care setting, in a variety of clinical areas and/or vast experience in specialised field.
- Bachelor’s Degree or Post-graduate qualifications (or overseas equivalent) in a subject relevant to work with children and/or young people.
- Training relevant to area of work eg Counselling, Teaching, Duke of Edinburgh Award leader, communication technology, youth participation. Membership/registration with a youth worker group
- Knowledge of and ability to analyse professional and ethical issues, including professional boundaries, clinical governance and safeguarding children policies and practice.
- Applied knowledge of recent health policy & guidance.
Experience
Essential criteria- Minimum of 2 years’ post qualifying and recent, comprehensive experience of working with children and/or young people preferably in a health care or social setting and aged 13-24 years delivering age appropriate activities.
- Excellent communication skills, engagement and cooperation/motivational techniques with young people from a range of ages and backgrounds.
- Experience of organising and running a range of youth-focussed activities including residential and non-residential group and peer support activities.
- Ability to coordinate, organise and facilitate a programme of 1:1 and group activities that benefit young people.
- Experience of providing family centred care and working with the extended family.
- Comprehensive experience of leading play/recreation activities for babies, children and/or young people.
- Proven ability in project work involving youth participation/engagement.
- Experience of working with children and/or young people with additional needs, learning disabilities or neurodiverse including those with challenging behaviours.
- Experience of supporting, teaching, training, assessing and supervising junior staff, students and/or volunteers and applying presentation skills through formal and/or informal teaching of students and staff.
- Experience of undertaking risk assessment and addressing risk/safeguarding issues for 1:1 and group activities with young people.
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria- Able to communicate complex information effectively with patients, families and staff, in written, verbal and nonverbal forms.
- To work as part of the Play and Youth Services Team and various clinical teams as well as work independently to meet the needs of children and young people, ability to manage own case loads and maintain effective time management skills.
- Sufficient IT skills using various programmes such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel as well as ability to transfer skills to effectively use online medical note programmes.
- Ability to work as an individual as well as within a team, effectively and efficiently.
Other Requirements
Essential criteria- Able to work flexible hours and weekends according to needs of clinical area.
- Up to date registration with HPSET, if required for qualification.
- Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development
- Membership of Professional Body
At UCLH, we have a real ‘One Team’ ethos, and our values – safety, kindness, teamwork and improving, are central to the way we work. This is supported by our staff, who voted us as the #1 NHS Acute Trust to work for in the whole of England.
At UCLH we take equality of opportunity seriously and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer, with a culture that creates a real sense of belonging and trust. It is our fundamental aim, to recruit, retain and promote a diverse mix of people who are representative of our local communities.Applications are encouraged from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to support our world class research, innovation and creativity.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff and has a dedicated policy which allows staff to apply for flexible working right from the beginning of employment. For more information please go to: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/work-with-us/why-choose-uclh/flexible-working.
We offer our permanent staff an interest free season ticket loan for travel, all our staff have access to free independent and confidential support, large retail discounts, a staff discount platform, cycle to work scheme and on-site accommodation to name a few.
Additionally, UCLH Arts and Heritage’s staff wellbeing programme, Creative Comfort, offers a variety of ways to engage with the arts as a member of UCLH staff. You can try out the weekly choir, weekly art club and join the Culture Club for exclusive access to free and discounted tickets for opera, exhibitions, theatre and more.
We recognise, reward and thank colleagues by nominating them for our annual Celebrating Excellence Awards, which are funded by UCLH Charity.
We are also members of www.mytrustbenefits.co.uk/ which offers discounts on high street retail stores, offers on travel deals, and also to take advantage of cash back schemes.
This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
Please note that all correspondence regarding your application will be via email. The emails will be sent to you via TRAC.jobs and not via NHS Jobs, we encourage you to check your inbox regularly.
Please note that if you are at present in a training position on the 2016 new junior doctor’s contract and are applying for a Trust doctor role your salary will not be pay protected.
You will be placed on the appropriate point of the Trust Doctor pay scale based on your previous experience.
Please note that if you have not heard from us within 3 weeks of the closing date of the advert to assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion.
The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.