Job title: Family Support Worker
Location: Leicester Children's Hospital and home-based. Travel to locations across the East Midlands required from time-to-time.
Hours: 18 hours per week
Salary: £24,800 - £26,500 pro-rate for part-time role
About Pasic:
Pasic is a growing charity based in the East Midlands, supporting families of children and young people with cancer. We provide emotional, financial, practical, and social support for around 500 families, from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment, and up to three years after treatment ends. We’re a passionate, hardworking team of 11 staff split between two teams. Our Family Support Team, deliver vital front-line support, whilst the Fundraising & Communications Team generate income and raise awareness to ensure we can give the best possible support to families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Role summary:
To provide practical and emotional support to Pasic families. To offer a 'friendly face' and first point of contact to all families on the children’s oncology ward at Leicester Children’s Hospital. To build good relationships and identify when and how families need support from the point of diagnosis and beyond.
Key relationships: Working within the family support team at Pasic and alongside the wider multi disciplinary team at Leicester Children’s Hospital.
Leicester is a vibrant and culturally diverse city, with many communities speaking a range of languages. To help us provide accessible and inclusive support to our families, we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are bilingual and able to communicate in Gujarati, Punjabi, Polish or Urdu. Knowledge of these languages, and an understanding of Leicester’s different cultural needs of Leicester’s diverse communities, although not essential, would be an advantage in this role.
You’ll find working for us a rewarding experience. We’ve a vision for how we can make life better for families facing childhood cancer. We’ve a culture of continual evaluation and learning. The successful candidate will be joining a team with a ‘can do’ attitude, committed to developing both individuals and the charity as a whole.
Key responsibilities:
- Provide practical bedside help and support to families of children and young people with cancer Leicester Children’s Hospital on Ward 27, the day care unit, and in the Teenage Cancer Trust unit as needed. To attend regular hospital clinics to meet and build relationships with children/families being treated under the NHS CYPICS service (Children and Young Person’s Integrated Cancer Service).
- To work alongside and liaise with hospital staff/other organisations to ensure that parents with newly diagnosed children know about Pasic’s support and services.
- To reinforce the face-to-face aspect of the role on the ward, the Family Support Worker must complete a range of administrative tasks that underpin effective support for families. This involves maintaining accurate and up-to-date records, and submitting applications for financial assistance on behalf of families.
- To keep a record of families on Salesforce database system and to ensure family records are regularly updated.
- To provide a 'signposting' service to other sources of funding, support and to provide children/families with an advice service in this respect.
- To help arrange and attend Pasic outings and events and to be the 'front facing' person liaising with families in this respect (occasional evening and weekend working will be required).
- To attend regular Team meetings. To continually reflect on and evaluate how Pasic can improve and adjust their services to meet the families’ needs to ensure we provide the best possible service.
- To be aware of the importance of looking after their own well-being and carrying out the Support Worker role effectively by attending regular clinical supervision.
- Our support service may change to meet the needs of our beneficiaries, so you’ll need to be flexible in your approach to work, as such this list may not be exhaustive.
Person specification:
We’re looking for the following qualities and skills:
- The ability to build and maintain relationships with young people, their parents and families who require emotional and practical support during difficult and stressful periods.
- The ability to deal with complex and sensitive information and to communicate effectively with a wide range of other organisations on behalf of our families.
- A team player who is confident when dealing with a wide variety of people, but who is equally able to work under their own initiative with minimum supervision.
- A calm and empathetic person with integrity, who can use their experience and skills to provide a supportive approach to all beneficiaries of the charity.
- The ability to be discreet at all times is important and also a clear understanding of the line between professional and personal boundaries.
- Good communication skills when dealing with people face to face, on the phone or by email. Enthusiastic, hardworking and a ‘can-do’ attitude.
- Competent IT skills in order to record and maintain accurate data.
- Access to a car and driving licence is essential.
- Candidate to be willing to work some hours at occasional weekends when needed, including half a day on the ward once a month.
- Desirable criteria:
- Ability to speak and communicate effectively in Gujarati, Punjabi, or Urdu.
- Understanding of, and experience working within, Leicester’s diverse multicultural communities.
Preferred experience:
Minimum 3 years previous experience of a practical and emotional support role, preferably to families (not just young people), ideally within a charitable organisation. Experience of working with and supporting the families of children with serious medical issues, or experience as a parent, relative or close friend of a child who has had treatment for cancer.
Good knowledge of Microsoft packages - Excel and Outlook Knowledge of database, ideally Salesforce.
Other information:
References from previous and current employers will be taken up for shortlisted candidates, and where necessary employers may be contacted to gather further information.
3-month probation period - a trial period, to enable the assessment of an employee’s suitability for the job. It provides Pasic with the opportunity to monitor and review the performance of new staff in relation to various areas.
Start date negotiable subject to job offer and DBS check For more information email [email protected] or message/call 07544 085884
How to apply:
If you’re interested in joining our team, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your CV and a cover letter telling us a bit about yourself and why you’re interested in the role to [email protected]
Closing date: Wednesday 12th August
Interviews: Thursday 27 August
Because of the nature of the role and the emotional demands involved, applicants with personal experience of childhood cancer within their immediate family in the last 6 years may not be suitable. We are happy to discuss this sensitively with prospective applicants
Pay: £24,800.00-£26,500.00 per year
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Leicester LE1
