Job Description

1) Job Identification
Job title: Family Support Worker
Responsible to: Parent / Carer Development Worker
Department: Clinical
Last Updated: September 2017
2) Job Purpose
As part of the multi-disciplinary team, the post holder will contribute to the provision of bereavement services for children, young people, and families to provide tailored support for families of patients linked to the Hospice and to children and young people referred to the child bereavement service, The Butterfly Service.
The post holder will work closely with the Parent/Carer Development Worker to support the planning and delivery of individual family support packages.
Providing practical short term support, in a variety of settings, they will advocate for children and their families when liaising with various organisations and professionals as appropriate.
The post holder will also assist in the planning and co-facilitating of groups, outings and activities identified to meet the needs of the client group.
They will influence the psychological and emotional care of young people and their families through providing and contributing to educational programmes across professional disciplines and by contributing to the operational and strategic planning of palliative care services.
3) Role dimensions
To support the development and delivery of high standards of specialist bereavement support to children, young people, families and professionals.
To deliver appropriate interventions with parents and other care givers to enable effective support for children and young people.
To provide direct support to parents and carers including therapeutic support.
To develop appropriate volunteering roles in consultation with parents and carers.
To identify and liaise with appropriate external agencies including education, health and social care agencies to develop services and promote referrals.
To be involved and contribute to the development of family support services within the Hospice.

4) Organisational position

5) Role of Department
To work as part of the multidisciplinary team providing specialist palliative care.
To provide high quality psychological and emotional care to patients with complex palliative care needs (and their families), including pre and post bereavement care and support, liaising with external agencies as necessary.
To provide a resource for staff, students and other professionals seeking specialist bereavement and counselling advice and teaching.
To deliver pre and post bereavement support to children, young people and their families.
To contribute to the development, implementation and management of the Clinical Governance strategy within the Hospice.
To provide an educational resource in conjunction with local universities and colleges, offering placements in palliative care to counselling students.
6) Key Results
Clinical
  1. To assess the needs of the children/young people and their main carers and provide a service that is equitable and recognises diversity.
  2. Providea range of therapeutic and support programmes for parents and carers of bereaved young people.
  3. To be responsible for a caseload prioritising the needs of individual parents and carers effectively.
  4. To establish and maintain strong networking relationships with potential referrers and key stakeholders.
  5. Participate in family assessment for parents and carers of bereaved young people.
  6. To agree a support plan with the parent or carer.
  7. To work with the parent or carer to assess, review and evaluate their agreed support plan.
  8. To work with parents or carers in their place of their choice.
  9. To ensure all clinical practice is evidence based drawing on recently published, peer reviewed literature and guidelines.
  10. To participate in the delivery, development and review of practice in line with current evidence base.
  11. Provide support for the delivery, review and evaluation of learning and support programmes in relation to the needs of parents and carers of bereaved young people.
  12. To liaise with other health and social care professionals to identify patients andfamilies with psychological, emotional and bereavement needs.
  13. To work withparents and carersin a person-centred way to agree and deliver effective support.
  14. To support the individual in decision-making and problem-solving in times of psychological and emotional distress.
  15. To record relevant information in the notes of the parent or carer and communicate appropriately with other members of the multi-professional care team following contact.
  16. To attend multi-disciplinary meetings, sharing relevant care information in agreement with the parent or carer.
  17. To work alongside the clinical team to identify young people potentially at risk in bereavement and provide appropriate support for the parent or carer.

18.To participate as a member of the multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of specialist palliative care, contributing an understanding and assessment of the psychosocial and emotional problems of young people and the impact on their parent or carer.

  1. To assist in the development and implementation of Hospice policies to provide high quality care.
  2. To support the development and implementation of the Clinical Governance strategy within the Hospice.
  3. To contribute to practice-based research as required.
  4. To ensure effective communication channels within the hospice team through attendance at team meetings.
Managerial
  1. To design, implement and evaluate parent and carer support plans in co-production with parents and carers.
  2. To assist in the compilation and reporting of project data to monitor and evaluate agreed project outcomes for the big lottery.
  3. To assist in the development of posters, articles, and publications for the co-produced models of support and circulate to relevant stakeholders.
  4. To be responsible for administration of own activities using the designated administrative support as appropriate.
  5. To work flexibly to meet the demands of the service
Educational
  1. To support the delivery of training to external organisations and key internal stakeholders on pre and post bereavement support of young people and their main carers.
  2. To support group sessions and training workshops for parents/carers, volunteers and sessional workers.
  3. To be proactive in identifying and addressing own personal education and development needs
  4. To participate in the educational programmes offered by the hospice, internally and externally, taking an active role in the delivery of education in the specialist field of palliative care
  5. To contribute to the advancement of the knowledge base of specialist palliative care through publications and presentations at local and national conferences.
Professional
  1. To safeguard own emotional wellbeing to be able to work effectively in an emotionally challenging environment.
  2. To maintain active registration with a professional regulatory body and work within the relevant ethical framework ( if applicable)
  3. To maintain CPD log as required by the relevant regulatory body.
  4. To retain membership of appropriate specialist interest groups.
  5. To participate in the hospice professional development and review process to promote personal and service developments.
  6. To attend education courses and study days to be aware of developments in own professional field and in the wider bereavement discipline.
  7. To assist in the identification and implemention of audit in own professional discipline.

7a) Equipment and Machinery
IT equipment - Personal Computer, Smart Board, various electronic devices / mediums
7b) Systems
Maintain a diary
UseIT systems including PowerPoint presentations, excel spreadsheets and digital media.
Maintain data collection/ monthly stats
Maintain client records including appropriate outcome and evaluation documentation.
Maintain CPD log and record of training undertaken.
Room Booking system.
Appointment System.
8) Assignment and Review of Work
Manages ownworkload, generated by the specific service needs in consultation with the Parent / Carer Development Worker.
Work within agreed department protocols to manage referrals to and from other professionals for pre and post bereavement support for young people and their parents / carers.
Is responsible to the Parent / Carer Development Worker for guidance, professional management, review of work and formal appraisal of performance.
Works collaboratively within the multi-professional team providing advanced emotional and psychological care in the field of specialist palliative care.
Anticipates and responds appropriately to problems/needs of service delivery and takes steps to resolve them involving appropriate colleagues.
Meets regularly with other team members/ attends staff meetings/ attends departmental development meetings.
Works autonomously providing one-to-one support and groupwork
9) Decisions and Judgments
Professionally expected to make decisions on a daily basis analysing and acting on information using comprehensive knowledge, skills and experience in the specialty, and taking into account guidance from the relevant professional body, specialist guidelines and protocols and Hospice policies and procedures.
Uses flexible and innovative approach to problem solving and decision making in order toprioritise own workload.
Works independently and makes professional decisions when a lone worker and without direct support of other team members.
10) Most Challenging / Difficult parts of the job
Professional isolation: Working independently and making professional decisions when a lone worker and without direct support of other team members.
Undertaking an emotionally and mentally demanding job, whilst at the same time taking care to safeguard own health and safety and that of colleagues, patients and carers.
Maintaining and continually developing advanced knowledge in specialist field.
Achieving and maintaining a balance betweenclient support and professional responsibilities due to time constraints and workload.
Managing expectations of the wider multi-disciplinary team.
Imparting unwelcome news to clients and staff.
Supporting patients, young people and relatives at the end of life.
11) Communication and Relationships
Clients
Delivers unwelcome news.
Works with the multidisciplinary team in supporting young people and their carers through difficult and emotional experiences.
Provides opportunities for parents / carers to explore their feelings and needs relating to individual circumstances. This requires highly developed interpersonal, motivational and persuasion skills.
Work sensitively with distressed parents / carers.
Provides and receives information regarding complex and sensitive issues.
Deals with verbal complaints.
Maintaining appropriate client/ professional boundaries.
Multi disciplinary Team:
Collaborate with wider MDT regarding the needs of young people and their carers.
Advises on management strategies to optimise emotional and psychological care.
Reports (both verbally and in writing) young person / family assessment findings, progress and suggests other professional input requirements.
Other Agencies :
Negotiates and liaises with other services, external to the hospice, i.e. voluntary groups, other voluntary organisations, to optimise care and ensure effective service delivery.
Refers onto and works collaboratively with other services.
12 ) Physical, Mental, Emotional and Environmental Demands of the Job
Physical
Working with young people, participating in a number of activities.
Frequent use of VDU’s and other IT equipment.
Mental
Concentration required when communicating withyoung people.
Analytical demands when working with complex issues.
Managing competing workload priorities and time constraints to meet the demands of the service.
Emotional
Frequently working with highly distressed individuals (both adults and children) and difficult situations.
Requirement to be “self-grounded” and able to focus entirely on the work in hand.
Frequently responding to issues of an ethically and/or existentially challenging nature.
Imparting unwelcome news regarding young people and their carers.
Working regularly with terminally ill patients
Environmental
Occasional exposure to verbal aggression.
13 ) Knowledge, Training and Experience required to do the Job
Hospice Values
The ability to work in a way that upholds the values of the Hospice is essential.
The ability to demonstrate behaviours that support the values of the Hospice is essential.
Qualifications/Knowledge/Experience
Registration with relevant professional body if appropriate.
Evidence of experience of working with young people and their carers to support them through difficult circumstances.
Experience of working with children, adults, families in groups or individually
Theoretical knowledge and understanding of loss, grief and bereavement and how it impacts on young people and their carers to degree level or significant relevant experience.
Training in loss trauma and bereavement.
Training in working with vulnerable adults, children and young people.
A sound understanding of risk assessment in relation to young people.
Evidence of a strong focus and understanding of the needs of young people and their carers.
Knowledge of support services for families in local area.
Skills/Abilities
Advanced communication skills
Ability to work independently
Ability to work autonomously within a multidisciplinary team
Ability to work flexibly in a changing and developing environment.
Someone who is able to analyse situations and problems to identify robust and workable solutions.
Full Driving License
Good organisational skills
Effective leadership skills
Excellent communication and people skills.
Evidence of team working skills
Presentation skills
Computer Literate
14. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
This job description is a general outline of the above post and it is not exhaustive. This job description is subject to periodic review with the post holder. Duties may change in line with the service changes and of the post holders own personal development.
I agree that this is an accurate reflection of the duties involved in my current role in The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.
Job Holder’s Signature ______/ Date: