Family Support Team Lead

NHS Jobs; Wrexham; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Jobs is seeking an experienced leader to oversee the Family Support Team within a hospice setting. The role involves guiding family support practitioners, volunteers and students, prioritising caseloads, and ensuring safeguarding and governance standards across services.

You will drive service development, contribute to budget planning and participate in management discussions, while delivering emotional and bereavement support to patients and families as they navigate diagnosis and loss.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Family Support Team.
• Lead, supervise and support family support practitioners, volunteers and students.
• Manage caseload allocation and service prioritisation.
• Monitor service activity, outcomes and waiting times.
• Develop and review operational procedures, policies and pathways.
• Ensure services meet safeguarding, governance and regulatory requirements.
• Lead service development initiatives in line with hospice strategy.
• Contribute to budget planning and resource management.
• Participate in hospice management meetings and operational planning.
• Provide emotional support to patients and families adjusting to diagnosis, deterioration and end-of-life care.
• Deliver supportive listening and emotional wellbeing interventions.
• Assess emotional, psychological and social support needs.
• Coordinate access to specialist counselling and mental health services.
• Lead the hospice bereavement service.
• Ensure provision of pre-bereavement and post-bereavement support.
• Oversee bereavement assessments and risk screening.
• Coordinate bereavement support sessions.
• Develop bereavement pathways for adults and children.
• Ensure timely follow-up of families after a death.
• Coordinate support for children experiencing anticipatory grief and bereavement.
• Manage referrals from schools, professionals and self-referrals.
• Ensure support is available regardless of whether the bereavement is connected to hospice care.
• Develop age-appropriate interventions and resources.
• Build links with schools, educational psychologists and local children\'s services.
• Develop services that support informal carers and loved ones.
• Provide information, education and emotional support.
• Facilitate access to respite opportunities and external agencies.
• Promote carers\' wellbeing throughout the illness journey.
• Coordinate access to welfare benefits advice.
• Support individuals with benefit claims and grant applications.
• Ensure families are signposted to statutory and voluntary sector services.
• Work closely with financial wellbeing and welfare rights advisors.
• Coordinate holistic spiritual support for patients and families.
• Support access to chaplaincy and faith leaders where requested.
• Ensure spiritual needs are considered regardless of religious belief.
• Lead and support the delivery of therapeutic and supportive groups including Bereavement Groups, Bereavement Group Young Adults, Bereavement Group Children and Family Groups, Children\'s Bereavement Groups, Family Memory Making Sessions, Creative Therapy Groups, School Holiday Support Programmes, Family Grief Workshops, Carer Support Groups, Current Carers Support Group, Former Carers Transition Group, Carers Wellbeing Sessions, Wellbeing and Support Groups, Living Well Groups, Peer Support Groups, Coffee and Connection Groups.

Job description

RESPONSIBLE FOR

Social Workers Counsellors, Student Counsellors and Placements Chaplain Group Facilitators Volunteers

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL Head of Clinical and Patient Services All members of the hospice MDT Hospice staff in all departments Hospice volunteers

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Family Support Team. Lead, supervise and support family support practitioners, volunteers and students. Manage caseload allocation and service prioritisation. Monitor service activity, outcomes and waiting times. Develop and review operational procedures, policies and pathways. Ensure services meet safeguarding, governance and regulatory requirements. Lead service development initiatives in line with hospice strategy. Contribute to budget planning and resource management. Participate in hospice management meetings and operational planning.

FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE DELIVERY

Provide oversight and coordination of services including: Emotional Support to Support patients and families adjusting to diagnosis, deterioration and end-of-life care. Deliver supportive listening and emotional wellbeing interventions. Assess emotional, psychological and social support needs. Coordinate access to specialist counselling and mental health services where required. Bereavement Support Lead the hospice bereavement service. Ensure provision of pre-bereavement and post-bereavement support. Oversee bereavement assessments and risk screening. Coordinate bereavement support sessions. Develop bereavement pathways for adults and children. Ensure timely follow-up of families after a death.

Children and Young People's Support

Coordinate support for children experiencing anticipatory grief and bereavement. Manage referrals from schools, professionals and self-referrals. Ensure support is available regardless of whether the bereavement is connected to hospice care. Develop age-appropriate interventions and resources. Build links with schools, educational psychologists and local children's services.

Carer Support

Develop services that support informal carers and loved ones. Provide information, education and emotional support. Facilitate access to respite opportunities and external agencies. Promote carers' wellbeing throughout the illness journey.

Welfare Rights and Practical Support

Coordinate access to welfare benefits advice. Support individuals with benefit claims and grant applications. Ensure families are signposted to statutory and voluntary sector services. Work closely with financial wellbeing and welfare rights advisors.

Spiritual Care

Coordinate holistic spiritual support for patients and families. Support access to chaplaincy and faith leaders where requested. Ensure spiritual needs are considered regardless of religious belief.

GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND FACILITATION

Lead and support the delivery of therapeutic and supportive groups including:

• Bereavement Groups
• Bereavement Group Young Adults
• Bereavement Group Children and Family Groups
• Children's Bereavement Groups
• Family Memory Making Sessions
• Creative Therapy Groups
• School Holiday Support Programmes
• Family Grief Workshops
• Carer Support Groups
• Current Carers Support Group
• Former Carers Transition Group
• Carers Wellbeing Sessions
• Wellbeing and Support Groups
• Living Well Groups
• Peer Support Groups
• Coffee and Connection Groups

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

Act as a safeguarding lead. Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified and escalated appropriately. Work closely with safeguarding champions and statutory agencies. Ensure compliance with adult and child safeguarding policies. Maintain accurate safeguarding records.

PARTNERSHIP WORKING

Develop relationships with:

• Schools and colleges
• Community mental health services
• Children's services o Social services
• GP practices
• Hospitals
• Faith communities
• Citizens Advice
• Local bereavement services
• Charitable and voluntary organisations
• Represent the hospice at external meetings and networks.

QUALITY, GOVERNANCE AND AUDIT

Use outcome measures to evaluate service effectiveness. Participate in audit and quality improvement activities. Produce reports for governance committees and trustees. Ensure clinical records are maintained accurately. Monitor service performance and patient experience. Support inspection and compliance requirements.

COMMUNICATION

Communicate sensitively regarding illness, dying, loss and bereavement. Manage difficult and emotionally complex situations. Deliver presentations and education sessions. Promote awareness of family support services internally and externally.