Specialist Carer - Band 4 (Grade 6 Equiv.)

This role may be perfect for you if you are currently, or have been, a Healthcare Assistant. At Noah’s Ark you’ll have the opportunity to build on your experience and be trained to a more specialist level.

Main duties of the job:

• We’re expanding our team and are looking for more Specialist Carers to join our charity.
• You’ll be joining an award-winning, certified Outstanding team, who do all they can to empower children and families to experience as much life as possible.
• As a Specialist Carer, you’ll provide life-changing care for babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
• You’ll do this by working in collaboration with their family, multidisciplinary teams and your other Noah’s Ark colleagues.
• You’ll be encouraged to put the experience of children and families at the heart of all you do.
• You’ll focus on what children can do, rather than their limitations, and will support them to experience things they may never have thought possible.
• By providing care for children, either at our state-of-the-art building, The Ark, or out in the community, you’ll be allowing parents and carers to take some time for themselves.
• You will be a senior carer in our team and will pass on your skills and experience by supporting and training junior colleagues.
• You will actively lead care planning reviews, projects and meetings.
• Your commitment to children and families will continue through to end-of-life care.
• You’ll be a guiding reassuring presence for families, and working with other healthcare professionals to create as much comfort as possible.

About us:

We exist to help babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. Our mission is to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, not patients; as families, not just as carers. Because everyone deserves to live life as themselves, beyond their condition or circumstances. We do this by listening to families. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so we cater our services to each individual person we support. Our expert staff and trained volunteers can provide support in a family's home, in the community, or at our state-of-the-art building, The Ark, in Barnet. We work in collaboration with key NHS Trusts and other care providers to deliver the very best support to children and families.

Job responsibilities:

• As part of the Specialist Care Team you will be required to facilitate clinical and holistic care to babies, children and young people in our care.
• You will need to work in our Woodlands inpatient unit, our families’ homes and in the community, delivering the highest quality family centred palliative care.
• You will be available to work a variety of shifts across a rota including days, evenings and weekends.
• Specialist Carers provide care for children and young people with life threatening and/or life limiting conditions and support for their families and carers.
• This will involve working collaboratively with the family, and internal and external multidisciplinary teams and colleagues.
• You will use your skills, knowledge and expertise in a variety of situations within the hospice as well as out in the community and in family homes.
• You will be trained and competent to work as a lone worker in the community.
• Shift patterns will include a rotation of weekend, bank holidays, early morning/evening and night shifts, which are an integral part of the service delivery.
• You will safeguard all children and young people accessing our services, by responding to concerns raised in a timely and appropriate manner and effectively escalating these in accordance with policies and procedures.

ABOUT YOU:

• You will enjoy creating experiences, activities and play for those in your care, as well as working with your team to ensure their clinical needs are met.
• You will understand and adhere to policies and procedures at all times, underpinned by competency in clinical skills, and will be supervised by a Senior Specialist Carer and/or Registered Nurse.
• A full driving licence and access to your own vehicle for business use is essential to cover our wide geographical operating region.
• An enhanced DBS disclosure with Child Barring will be required for this post.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of GCSE grade C in English and Maths (or equivalent)
• QCF/ NVQ level 2 or 3 health / health and social care (or equivalent) or care certificate

Skills / Knowledge / Experience:

• At least 2 years experience of working with or caring for babies, children and young people with life threatening and life limiting conditions, including children with special needs.
• Experience of providing play and fun when caring for babies, children and young people.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Good organisational skills with ability to manage own caseload.
• Evidence of supporting / teaching junior colleagues.
• Experience working with babies, children and young people with life threatening and life limiting conditions including those with special needs.
• Experience of leading meetings, projects, link roles, care plan reviews.

Behavioural / Personal:

• Enthusiastic and keen to learn.
• Kind, caring and committed to provide high quality care.
• Flexible availability to work unsocial hours - evenings, nights, weekends, last minute changes.
• Confidence and initiative to lone work in different home environments and also work effectively as part of a team.
• Passionate to develop nursing care skills and competencies of self and others.
• Willingness to undertake ongoing competency based training and assessment of complex nursing care.
• A mature approach to personal and professional boundary setting with children, young people and their families.
• Live Noah’s Ark values - kindness, courage and excellence.

Misc:

• Enhanced DBS with Child & Adult Barring.
• Willing to undergo Occupational Health Assessment and receive immunisations where applicable.
• Full UK drivers licence.
• Provide Evidence of right to work in the UK.

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.