Burns Service Play Worker

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham is seeking a dedicated Burns Service Play Worker to join their team. This role involves providing care and play activities for children with burn injuries, ensuring a comforting environment during their hospital stay. Candidates should have an NVQ level 3 in Child Health and Social Care and demonstrate strong interpersonal skills along with relevant experience. The Trust is committed to equality and diversity in its workforce.

Qualifications

• Must have demonstrated evidence of regular experience working with children aged 0-16 years.
• Knowledge of the importance of play and how development can affect this.
• Able to work with children/young people with additional needs.

Responsibilities

• Welcome patients and families to the Burns centre.
• Maintain a safe working environment.
• Provide normalizing play activities to counteract the effects of hospitalization.

Skills

Knowledge of Child Development and Play

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to work as part of a team

Ability to respond effectively to feedback

Education

NVQ level 3 in Child Health and Social Care

5 GCSE's A-C grade including English and Maths

Diploma in play work Cache Level 3

Job description

Go back Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Burns Service Play Worker

The closing date is 16 October 2025

We can offer you an exciting career opportunity to be a part of a dedicated team caring for children and young people who have sustained a thermal injury.

Do you want to be part of this unique development?

Together Everyone Achieves More

The team is committed to providing quality patient and family focused care for patients of all ages from admission to discharge.

To join the team, you must be interested in working with children who have a burn injury, enthusiastic and flexible in approach.

Be passionate about using play to help improve children, young people and their family's experiences while they are in a hospital setting.

In return for your hard work and commitment you would be part of a dynamic, forward thinking, and supportive team.

Deb Lyne- Burns Ward Manager

Wayne Roberts- Burns Play Specialist

Clare Thomas - Lead Nurse for Burns and Plastics

Main duties of the job

Welcome patients and families to the Burns centre.

Maintain a safe working environment.

Maintain toys and equipment - ensuring Trust Infection Control and cleaning policies are adhered to.

Assist ward staff in meeting the basic care needs of the patient. which includes washing, hygiene, feeding.

To provide normalisng play activities to counteract the effects of hospitalisation.

Use normalising play to provide basic distraction from the hospital environment.

Use knowledge, skills, and experience of child development through to adulthood when selecting play, recreation, and leisure activities.

Actively promote Health and Wellbeing with children, young people, and families.

To have an understanding of reasonable adjustments required for children/young people with learning disabilities and additional needs - including sourcing safe, appropriate play and resource activities.

Able to support children and young people with challenging behaviors.

To facilitate and create a caring and safe play, recreation, and leisure environment for children/young people and families, helping to reduce anxiety and fear

Organise, plan, and implement activities which encourage independence and provide

The opportunity for children/young people and families to spend time independently of each other.

About us

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world-leading neo-natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family-centred care.

Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.

Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women's hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care.

Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Mental Health Services are a unique, innovative community and inpatient mental health partnership. Alongside partners FTB offers care pathways of mental health assessment and treatment for young people aged 0-25 years old.

Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification to view the full details for this opportunity at Birmingham Womens and Childrens NHS Foundation Trust.

When completing your application, please ensure you have evidenced how you meet the job description and person specification to include transferable experience, qualifications, skills along with professional registration details (if applicable).

Occasionally we receive a large number of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 in Child Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Or NNEB Diploma in Nursery Nursing (DNN)
• 5 GCSE's A-C grade including English and Maths
• Food hygiene and moving and handling
• S/NVQ level 3 in Play work
• Diploma in play work Cache Level 3

Knowledge/Experience

• Demonstrate evidence of regular experience working with children aged 0-16 years.
• Knowledge of the importance of play and how development can affect this
• Knowledge of development and therapeutic play preparation and distraction for all ages.
• Knowledge of issues relating to consent and confidentiality
• Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safe guarding and cultural and diversity awareness
• Knowledge/experience working with children/young people with additional needs

Skills

• Knowledge of Child Development and Play in children/young people aged 0-19 years
• Awareness of the needs of the hospitalised child/young person and family
• Good understanding of Health & Safety issues relating to children/young people and Play
• Ability to meet the play and recreation needs of individuals and groups of children/young people and their families
• Ability to provide fundamental care to an agreed standard.
• Able to work as part of a team
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent concentration and observation skills
• Able to liaise with professionals at all levels
• To be professional and non-judgemental
• Able to respond effectively to feedback and instruction.
• Basic IT skills or be prepared to undertake training identified by the Trust
• Experience of working with children/young people with learning disabilities including those with challenging behaviour

Approach/Values

• Demonstrate alignment with the values and beliefs of the Trust
• Demonstrate an understanding of the practices of equality and inclusion in the delivery of this role
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust