Family Support Worker (XR03)

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity for a Family Support Worker at Leeds Children's Hospital, providing emotional and practical support to children and families. Join a dedicated team focused on improving experiences for children with serious health conditions through community engagement and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience working directly with children, young people, and parents.
• Experience in a healthcare setting involving children and young people.

Responsibilities

• Plan, implement, and evaluate support programs for children and families.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate support programs under supervision.
• Maintain accurate records and communicate effectively with patients and families.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Organizational Skills

Education

Level 3 NVQ in Health Care or Health and Social Care

Job description

The Leeds Children's Hospital has a new and exciting opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated Family Support Worker. The role involves providing dedicated practical and emotional support to children, young people, siblings, and parents throughout their hospital journey and in the community.

The successful candidate will join experienced clinical teams committed to improving the experiences of children and young people with life-threatening non-malignant haematological (NMH), liver, and renal (LR) diseases, and their families. The role is based at Leeds Children's Hospital, primarily supporting families on the haematology day unit and in the community, with some support for families admitted to intensive care or inpatient wards. Weekend work may be required.

Main duties of the job

The jobholder will plan, implement, and evaluate support programs for children, young people, and their families, with a community focus including home visits, school support, and community events. They may work alongside the lead family support worker on the haematology and oncology units and collaborate with clinical teams and charity partners to ensure comprehensive care. The role involves contributing to service development and resource management.

About us

The Non-Malignant Haematology team comprises one Band 7 CNS, one Band 6 CNS, a pharmacist, four Consultant Haematologists, and trainees. Work is distributed across the hospital and community settings, with a focus on collaborative, respectful care.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to redeploying 'at risk' staff and may close or delay adverts during this process. Shortlisting delays are possible; please contact the provided details for queries.

Job responsibilities

Principal Duties & Areas of Responsibility

• Act in accordance with The Leeds Way and safeguard children and vulnerable adults, adhering to LTHT policies.
• Raise concerns about risk or malpractice following whistleblowing procedures.
• Complete mandatory training and use PPE appropriately.
• Participate in quality and safety improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities for Patient and Client Care

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate support programs under supervision.
• Organize own workload and refer to multidisciplinary team members as needed.

Freedom to Act

• Make independent decisions within policies and protocols.
• Work collaboratively or independently as required.

Communication

• Maintain accurate records and communicate effectively with patients, families, and teams.
• Support communication with patients with difficulties or language barriers.

Education and Training

• Provide training to learners and staff, participate in personal development, and stay updated on specialty advances.

Leadership and Management

• Engage with service users and carers for service development.
• Contribute to policy development, manage resources, and undertake surveys or audits.

The Leeds Way Values

Our core values—Accountable, Empowered, and transparent—guide our work. Specific to this role are supporting families fairly (Equality), recognizing individual needs (Individuality), honesty and accountability (Transparency), and advocating for change (Courage).

Person Specification

Experience

• Extensive experience working directly with children, young people, and parents.
• Experience in a healthcare setting involving children and young people.

Qualifications

• Level 3 NVQ in Health Care or Health and Social Care.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.

Additional Requirements

• Full clean driver’s license and access to a vehicle.
• Willingness to travel to various locations, including homes and schools.
• Flexibility for evening and weekend work.

Skills & Behaviours

• Effective communication with diverse groups with empathy.
• Understanding of developmental needs of children and young people.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Organizational and prioritization skills.
• Capability to deliver family support programs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This role requires a DBS check due to the nature of work with vulnerable populations.