Immediate Support Coordinator – North Wales (Welsh Speaker) in London

Reports to: Immediate Support and Debrief Manager

Salary: Salary of £26,500 per annum, pro-rata for part time hours

Location: Remote work with travel in the region

Hours: Part-Time, 22.5 hours per week, over 3 days, Monday, Thursday and Friday.

Objective

2wish exists to provide support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under.

Aims

• Ensure every Emergency Department and Critical Care unit has a suitable bereavement suite
• Ensure that bereavement boxes are available at each of these hospitals
• Ensure that immediate bereavement support is available for all affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide a professional counselling service and other therapies for those affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support and training to professionals from any sector who may be affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• To advocate and campaign on behalf of suddenly bereaved families

Context of role

2wish supports anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We are an All-Wales and part England charity providing immediate casework support, as well as ongoing aftercare services including counselling, alternative therapies, play therapy, support groups, support events and a respite cottage.

The post holder will provide immediate and ongoing emotional and practical support to families affected by the sudden and unexpected death of their child or young adult.

Main duties

• To initiate immediate support for a caseload of families whose children and young people aged 0-25 have died suddenly and unexpectedly across the region
• To contact all families within 24-48 hours of the referrals by telephone
• Complete an initial assessment of families’ needs to identify and plan the support as required in line with safeguarding and risk reduction
• Offer emotional support and advice to a case load of families through home visits and ongoing weekly telephone calls
• To liaise with the Counselling Support and Outreach Coordinator, who is responsible for organising formal support such as counselling, complementary therapy or play therapy, subject to consent from the bereaved individual
• To work with hospital staff, GP’s, police officers, coroner offices, mental health teams and other healthcare professionals to raise awareness of and promote referrals into the charity
• To liaise with other professionals working alongside the family to provide a holistic and multi-agency approach to support
• Attend relevant forums within the area
• To deliver awareness training in hospitals and other healthcare settings, schools and workplaces on the use of the bereavement boxes, referring into the charity and bereavement awareness
• To monitor the use of the memory boxes and ensure families have been offered a memory box
• To work with hospital trusts to establish and maintain the upkeep of suitable bereavement suites for bereaved individuals to use as required
• Facilitate debriefs within professional settings following a traumatic or sudden death of a child or young person
• Maintain stock of 2wish memory boxes and deliver boxes to partner organisations as required
• To submit monthly/quarterly/annual reports to Bereavement Services Manager as required
• To signpost and/or refer to other agencies as required that can provide support as needed
• Cover members of the support team for annual leave and/or sickness

General

• To be responsible for organising own work agenda, time management and administration
• To show respect and sensitivity for the cultural and religious beliefs of families
• To undertake learning opportunities and seek them out for the team
• To adhere to all company policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Confidentiality, Health and Safety and Lone Working; and to be proactive in implementing new safe working practices as appropriate
• To attend weekend and evening community events in support of the charity as necessary
• Participate as and when required in team meetings and one-to-one meetings, and undertake, as appropriate, courses/training/other developmental activities, which is relevant to the role
• Contribute on the social media platforms maintained by 2wish

It is the nature of the work that tasks and responsibilities are in many circumstances unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work in a flexible way and tasks, which are not specifically covered in their job description may have to be undertaken.

You will be subject to performance review, which will incorporate a review of the above duties and performance over the period.

This role is subject to a DBS check.

What we do for you

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Normal office hours are 9am – 5pm, although alternative hours may be worked with line manager agreement. Work outside office hours may sometimes be necessary and will be compensated for by time off in lieu.

Annual leave: 28 days plus