Child & Young Persons Wellbeing Advocate
The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.
We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.
flexible-working
Job overview
The Havens are London's Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) based at Camberwell, Ladbroke Grove, and Whitechapel. We provide client-led, trauma-informed services that are delivered in partnership with police and third sector agencies. Our services include acute healthcare and support in age-appropriate settings; police and self-referred forensic medical examinations; follow-up services which address the client’s health, psychosocial and on-going needs, alongside the Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) team.
This role at The Havens, is part of a commissioned project across South West London which aims to increase the number of disclosures children and young people are making and ensuring they have access to the therapeutic and criminal justice support they need.The project will also work to ensure that professionals in the boroughs feel appropriately skilled to meet disclosures of sexual violence and abuse with belief, empathy, and a confident knowledge of next steps.
Interviews will include a panel interview and role play and be held in person at our offices in Croydon.
We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds, particularly those from minoritized and marginalized groups.
Main duties of the job
The Child and Young Person’s Wellbeing Advocate will work directly with the survivor, safe parents and carers and their support networks, as part of The Havens’ multidisciplinary team to ensure that the survivor’s needs are properly understood and met.The Child and Young Person’s Wellbeing Advocate will provide appropriate onward referrals and safeguarding input, drawing on a trauma-informed anti-oppressive approach. The post holder will have experience of working with survivors who experience multiple disadvantages, learning disability and autism, and understand the criminal justice process.
The Child and Young Person’s Wellbeing Advocate will undertake effective partnership working with criminal justice, heath, social work, and other professionals. The post holder will work in a client-led and therapeutic way to ensure the child or young person’s voice is properly heard and guides the adults around them.
You will work in a hybrid way, in schools and other community settings across Southwest London, from the office (in Croydon) and at Havens sites. The is an outreach role so requires frequent travel across Southwest London.
Working for our organisation
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites.The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus.Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will work directly with the survivor, safe parents and
carers, and their support networks as part of The Havens’ multidisciplinary team to ensure that the survivor’s needs are properly understood and met. The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will provide appropriate onward referrals and safeguarding input, drawing on a trauma-informed anti-oppressive approach.The post holder will have experience of working with survivors who experience multiple disadvantages, learning disability and autism, and understand the criminal justice process. The Child and
Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will undertake effective partnership working with criminal justice, heath, social work, and other professionals. The post holder will work in a client-led and therapeutic way to ensure the child or young person’s voice is properly heard and guides the adults around them.
Clinical Responsibilities- The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will:
- Promptly process referrals into the service and provide initial contact within 3 days
- Provide early support and referrals to children, young people and their families, supporting them to navigate systems related to the recent sexual assault.
- Short-term case work of 5 face to face sessions and onward referrals, welfare calls and waiting list administration support.
- Undertake risk and needs assessments and develop plans of support in collaboration with The Havens multi-disciplinary team and the team around the child.
- Support the child to access appropriate health care by identifying issues and sexual health risks in
children and young people and refer them on to appropriate services.
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria- Additional training in child or adolescent mental health / therapeutic work with young people
- Additional training in child protection and safeguarding practices
- Holding qualifications in counselling, psychotherapy, youth work, or social work
- Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) qualification and/or counselling/psychotherapy qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience
- Membership of a professional body
- Additional training in the field of sexual violence and trauma
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working with child and adolescent survivors of sexual violence
- Experience in providing trauma-informed psychological support to clients with complex and multiple needs
- Knowledge and experience of safeguarding children and young people, including current legislation. This includes being able to identify vulnerabilities and risk factors and escalate to relevant external agencies
- Experience in conducting risk and needs assessments, care planning, case management and co-ordination
- Experience of working with a multidisciplinary team within a complex environment
- Experience of interagency working
- Knowledge of confidentiality and information sharing protocols.
- Knowledge of the criminal justice system
- Relevant experience of working with young people in a healthcare, social work, or counselling setting
- Ability to provide an additional area of speciality knowledge relevant to the role
- Experience of working in an NHS service
- Knowledge of sexual health
- Knowledge/sensitivity to the influence of culture and belief systems on sexual health values
Skills and Competencies
Essential criteria- Excellent written & oral communication skills
- Ability to make decisions under pressure
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Excellent IT literacy including knowledge of/ability to learn new platforms and applications that facilitate remote working
- Time management skills
- Ability to reflect on one’s own practice
- Ability to resolve conflict
- Ability to plan, deliver & evaluate educational programmes for internal/external stakeholders, e.g., schools, organisations
- Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
- If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
- To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
- Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
- Click here to see the range of benefits we offer
- Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
- All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
- Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
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