Hospital Family Support Worker

We are looking for a kind and compassionate person to join our Family Support team supporting families whilst they are in hospital in London and Surrey. You will support families whose child has cancer or a life-challenging condition, offering emotional and practical support when it’s most needed, helping families feel less alone during some of their most difficult times.

As a Hospital Family Support Worker, you will split your time between a number of families, visiting them whilst they are inpatients on the ward or as an outpatient, along with keeping in touch with them when they are not in hospital via phone, email or text. Whether sitting with a parent at their child’s hospital bedside, supporting a teenager on the ward, along with collaborating with hospital teams and Momentum community colleagues to deliver a seamless and impactful service, ensuring continuity of support beyond hospital stays, you will make sure families know they’re not facing this journey alone.

Main duties of the job:

• Ideally, your hours will be spread across five days; we are open to discussion on this.
• You will also have regular peer support, clinical supervision, and opportunities to develop your skills.
• You will be part of a small, friendly, and passionate team who look out for each other just as much as we look out for the families we support.

The role is about being calm, empathetic, building trust, being there when it matters, and making sure families know they’re not alone.

About us:

The charity was founded in 2004 and has grown enormously over that time. We currently have partnerships with eight hospitals who refer families to us for our support, which ranges from therapies and counselling to respite holidays and special family experiences. We are on a mission to help many more families with seriously ill children to know that they are not alone, and we will need brilliant and talented people to share our ambition and make it happen.

Job responsibilities:

• Visit your assigned hospitals across London and Surrey, including Royal Marsden Sutton, Evelina London SE1, Kingston Hospital, St Georges Tooting, St Peters Chertsey, Royal Surrey Guildford and Epsom Hospital regularly, in line with need, to support existing Momentum families and meet new referrals.
• Build strong, positive relationships with hospital staff and other professionals so you become a trusted part of the team on the paediatric wards, including attending Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings, sharing professional knowledge of our families, maintaining accurate records and reporting back as required.
• Deliver presentations in hospital to professionals to raise awareness of Momentum.
• Provide compassionate, age-appropriate support to families, children, and young people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Offer emotional and practical support tailored to each family's situation, listening closely and responding with care from the moment they're referred.
• Manage your own caseload, prioritising contact based on need and making sure families always feel supported.
• Connect families to relevant services such as therapies, respite breaks, and family experiences.
• Recognise the needs of siblings, grandparents, and carers, helping them to find the right support too.
• Act promptly on any safeguarding concerns in line with Momentum's policies.

Person Specification:

• Experience working directly with children, young people, and families, demonstrating sensitivity to their unique needs.
• A natural ability to build rapport with others - you listen well and put people at ease.
• Excellent understanding of professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Strong communication skills (both written and verbal).
• A calm, empathetic, compassionate approach, especially in emotional or sensitive situations.
• Comfortable working independently, managing your own time, juggling priorities, and managing a varied caseload.
• Proficiency in using IT systems including Microsoft Office, databases and managing your calendar.
• A team player willing to collaborate and share learning with colleagues.
• Experience working with young adults.
• Familiarity with hospital environments and working alongside NHS professionals.
• Sound knowledge of Safeguarding for children, young people, and adults at risk.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.