Senior Bereavement Counsellor

St Andrews Hospice; Grimsby; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading palliative care charity in Grimsby is seeking a Senior Bereavement Counsellor to manage a team and deliver high-quality emotional support to bereaved individuals. The role encompasses overseeing service development, training staff, and ensuring compassionate care. Candidates should possess at least a degree level counselling qualification and be registered with a professional body. This role offers a fulfilling opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others while working in a supportive team environment.

Qualifications

• Experience managing people in a healthcare or counselling setting.
• Knowledge in bereavement support or counselling methods.
• Ability to work therapeutically with individuals and families.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of counsellors and caseworkers providing support.
• Ensure high-quality bereavement care for clients.
• Coordinate recruitment and training of volunteers.

Skills

Management experience

Counselling skills

Bereavement support knowledge

Team coordination

Emotional support delivery

Multidisciplinary approach

Education

Minimum level 5 counselling or degree

Qualified to Masters level in counselling or psychotherapy

Accredited/registered member of a counselling body (e.g., BACP)

Job description

A REWARDING CAREER THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Areyou looking to make a difference with your next role?

Anexciting opportunity has arisen, for an experienced and committed SeniorBereavement Counsellor at

As the Senior Counsellor of this service, we are looking for anindividual who has experience in coordinating services, managing complex cases andwho is passionate about delivering high quality support to people at their mostvulnerable.

You will be a qualified counsellor at degree levelor above and be registered with the appropriate professionalbody.

Main duties of the job

Our Bereavement Service provides specialist and therapeutic counselling tochildren, young people and adults, who have been bereaved through a death byany means, using individual, group and family techniques as appropriate. Thisservice is continually growing and trying innovative ways to meet the needs ofa diverse group of individuals.

As the manager of this service, we are looking for an individual who hasexperience in developing and coordinating services and who is passionate aboutdelivering high quality to support to people at their most vulnerable.

About us

As one of the local leading providers of palliative and end of lifecare, St Andrews Hospice is a highly successful and forward-thinking charity,offering both adult and childrens services. With an excellent reputation bothin the local community and beyond, we reach over 800 patients and theirfamilies in North East Lincolnshire and our wider catchment area ofLincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire for our childrens services.

Working for St Andrews Hospice offers a very rewarding career with afantastic team, with 184 Hospice staff, a large well-equipped Hospice site and 21charity shops working together to ensure that patients and their families havethe best possible experience and receive the highest quality of care.

Job responsibilities

Role Purpose

Thepost holder will play a key role in supporting the forward planning anddevelopment of the Bereavement Service. Promoting the highest quality bereavementcare and support for children, young people and adults referred to thebereavement service.

Tobe responsible for a team of counsellors, caseworkers, volunteers, and studentcounsellors providing specialist and therapeutic counselling to children, youngpeople and adults, who have been bereaved through a death by any means, usingindividual, group and family techniques as appropriate.

Toprovide support in a variety of locations including the hospice, community andschools. This may also be provided virtually or by telephone depending onclient need.

Ensurethere is a range of information and support available to meet the spectrum ofneed.

Tonetwork with external stakeholders to promote the service

Main Responsibilities

To effectively line-manage a team of bereavement counsellors, caseworkers,volunteers, and student counsellors, including conducting and completing team members 1:1 and CDRs in aneffective and timely manner, sickness/absence management, development ofcompetencies, performance management and providing supervision as required.

Working alongside theHead of Support & Wellbeing Services, be involved in the appropriaterecruitment of staff to the Bereavement team and to support the effectiveinduction of new staff to the bereavement service in line with Hospice policy.

To be responsible for therecruitment and supervision of volunteers within the Bereavement Servicesensuring correct paperwork is completed, interviews and inductions areundertaken, that they are assigned a mentor and have received the appropriatetraining for their role.

Createa supportive and nurturing environment to develop staff, recognising potentialand identifying future aspiring leaders within the Bereavement Team.

Topositively and proactively manage change within the Bereavement Service,communicating with and encouraging staff throughout the process.

To promote high staffmorale by inspiring a shared vision and common goal.

To facilitate wellbeing ofbereavement team, especially when dealing with distressing cases or when atrisk of vicarious trauma and provide support as needed.

Operationalresponsibility

To manage the staffrota and check and authorise the Shift base process for your team as directed by the Head of Support & Wellbeing Services.

Provide leadership anddirection to the bereavement services team daily.

To initiate and takeresponsibility for the reporting of Incidents, and Complaints, ensuring theappropriate action is taken, the situation is diffused, and the process iscommunicated effectively in conjunction with the Head of Support &Wellbeing Services.

Working within the Hospice safeguarding policies and procedures toensure the safety of all clients is fundamental to the Hospice.

To work in accordance with the requirements of theMental Capacity Act (2005) to ensure that client Capacity is determined, andactions taken appropriately.

To have responsibility to oversee triage and management of bereavementreferrals, including managing telephone advice, ensuring appropriateinformation and support is offered, following service guidelines.

To workwithin guidelines regarding confidentiality and ethics (i.e., BACP) at alltimes.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of managing people
• Experience of coordinating a service
• Experience of delivering emotional support.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary health and social care setting
• Knowledge and skills in bereavement support or counselling
• Experience of working with bereaved people in a group or family setting
• Use of counselling skills in family bereavement/sensitive, confidential settings
• Experience of working with clients with complex needs and/or traumatic bereavements.
• Experience of working in an MDT approach
• Experience of developing bereavement services.
• Experience of service evaluation.
• Experience of working in a mental health setting or supporting clients with mental health issues.
• Experience, training in specialist relatable subject; child development, mental health or substance misuse.
• Experience of supervised practise

Knowledge, Skills & Qualities

• Able to work therapeutically with individuals and families.
• Understanding of bereavement theories and processes
• Understanding of the impact of bereavement on adults and children
• Understanding the impact of traumatic bereavements
• Understanding of Mental Health diagnoses and approaches to management (e.g., anxiety management)
• Understanding of how mental and physical health interact and impact on bereavement
• Understanding a holistic approach to care
• Commitment to ensure confidentiality
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Understanding of both adults and childrens safeguarding procedures
• Understanding of Mental Capacity Act, and Mental Health Act
• IT literate: able to access and process electronic patient records as well as related MS Office documents
• Good organisational and administration skills

Qualifications

• Minimum level 5 counselling or degree.
• To be accredited/registered member of a counselling body i.e., BACP
• Full UK driving license and have access to own vehicle.
• Qualified to Masters level in counselling or psychotherapy
• Hold a relevant professional qualification i.e., Nursing, Social Work, Occupational therapy.
• Qualification in specialist relatable subject; child development, mental health or substance misuse.

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.

£30,182.40 to £36,346.40 a yearSalary based on 30 hours