Children\'s Playworker in Luton

Are you an enthusiastic and positive person with experience of working with children and young people with life limiting conditions? Are you creative and passionate about the importance of play when working with children with complex needs? This is an exciting opportunity to join our Childrens Services Team and provide play and recreational activities to children and young people in their home, community settings and in the Hospice.

Key Responsibilities:

• To work alongside the Play Specialists to promote the importance of play
• To provide a positive, warm and welcoming environment to children and their families
• Ensure children receive appropriate play and stimulation according to their emotional and developmental needs
• To play a key role in providing children, siblings and families with positive memory experiences

Main duties of the job

What we’re looking for:

• Knowledge of providing care for children with complex healthcare needs
• Understanding of safeguarding children
• UK driving licence
• Flexibility and adaptability

A competitive salary and generous annual leave. Ability to carry over your existing NHS pension scheme. Free car parking and cycle to work scheme. Career development and progression opportunities. A caring, supportive and inclusive environment.

About us

Keech Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end of life care for people of all ages. We support adults in Bedfordshire, children and their families in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes. At home, in hospice, or wherever we're needed. As a teaching hospice, our exceptional people, training, and facilities are helping local communities to live and die well.

Job responsibilities:

• To provide multisensory, and developmental play activities and age-appropriate experiences for children and young people to allow them to explore their emotional and social needs.
• To identify specific play activities to help individuals and groups of children to engage with Hospice life and promote them living with a life limiting illness.
• To ensure that all children receive the appropriate play and stimulation related to their emotional / developmental needs.
• To work flexibly in order to extend accessibility of services to all Keech Hospice Care families.
• To create a warm, welcoming, caring, and safe environment, that is child friendly.
• To work in partnership with families, encouraging their involvement and advising them of the importance of play.
• To provide children, siblings, and families with memory experiences, including working with children and families at the end of life and after death.
• To understand your own professional limitations and recognise the need to refer to other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• To report to the nurse in charge and social worker any Safeguarding issues about children and families, and document accordingly in child's notes.
• To establish effective communication, both verbal and written with all members of the multidisciplinary team, providing play-based observations to influence and support the overall assessment of the child.
• To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and their families and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
• To always ensure privacy and dignity of service users.
• Ensure written and electronic record keeping is comprehensive, accurate and up to date written and is maintained in line with legislation and organisational standards.
• Take reasonable care of the health and safety of yourself and other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work and cooperate with the Hospice to ensure that statutory and departmental regulations are adhered to.
• Partake in weekly planning and multi-disciplinary meetings to ensure efficient delivery of the service.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: General education (e.g. GCSEs) to grade C (5) or above. NVQ Level 2 or equivalent and willing to work towards Level 3 Childcare qualification.
• Experience: Knowledge of providing care for children with complex health care needs. An understanding of safeguarding children. IT knowledge and standard keyboard skills. Understanding of the role of the multi-disciplinary team. Demonstrates an understanding of the role of the play worker role Palliative Care. Willing to develop competency relevant to the role. Knowledge of the complex psychological demands on a family. Knowledge in safeguarding children's policies. Familiarity in working with children with complex health care needs. Experience in palliative care. Experience in working in a community setting.
• Additional Criteria: Demonstrates self-awareness, i.e., strengths and weaknesses, personal qualities and skills. Able to communicate routine information that requires tact and persuasive skills, or where there may be barriers to understanding.

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.