Youth Support Coordinator

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester is seeking a dedicated Youth Support Co-ordinator to support teenagers and young adults with cancer. You will work with the TY A MDT teams across sites to deliver age-appropriate social and emotional support, from diagnosis through two years post-treatment.

The role requires a diploma or degree in youth work, psychology, social sciences or play, and proven experience with young people. Flexible hours, driving required, and some evenings/weekends.

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in youth work, psychology, social sciences or play specialism
• Proven experience of working with young people
• Ability to engage with teenagers and young adults (16–25) affected by cancer
• Flexible approach, driving licence and own car preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 support for young people during cancer treatment and up to 2 years post-treatment
• Develop and deliver age-appropriate programmes for TY A patients
• Facilitate community activities and MDT collaboration across sites
• Signpost to age-appropriate services and health promotion materials
• Visit patients at home or in hospital when needed and maintain contact via multiple media
• Manage the TY A Facebook page and report concerns to the line manager
• Support families, siblings, partners and friends where appropriate

Skills

Youth work experience

Empathy

Communication

Education

Diploma in Youth Work

Job description

Main area Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Co-ordinator Grade Band 5 Contract 10 months (Fixed term 10 months) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 413-109112-CNS-LM

Site Teenage Cancer Trust NW - E00282 Town Manchester Salary £32,073 - £39,043 Pro rata Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Christie Teenage and Young Adult. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join a team dedicated to improving the lives of Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) with cancer. The Youth Support Coordinator (YSC) will work with a wide range of Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) colleagues based at the Christie and across the designated hospitals to ensure all TYA patients (aged 16-25) receive age appropriate care, high quality social and emotional support regardless of where they are treated.

Main duties of the job

The role will work closely with both YSC colleagues, other staff across designated hospitals and The Christie to provide co-ordinated support for young people whilst they are having treatment for cancer and up to 2 years after the completion of treatment.

To be successful in this role, you will be required to have a diploma or degree in a relevant qualification such as youth work, psychology, social sciences or play specialism and you will need to be able to demonstrate extensive experience of working with young people.

Working closely with the multi-disciplinary team, you will plan, develop and deliver programmes for young people which will meet their needs and help to support them. You will facilitate activities to bring young people together in the local community and across the North West and will provide 1:1 support for young people where needed.

An ability to work autonomously and be proactive is essential. Empathy, sensitivity and a sense of humour are also some of the key attributes you will bring to this role. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly to meet needs of the service. Some evening and weekend work will be involved and the post holder must be able to drive, have their own car (mileage is paid for travel due to work) and travel across the region on a regular basis.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

The TYA service is one of the largest Principle Treatment Centres in the UK, Come and join our dynamic, forward thinking, supportive team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Care and Support

• Establish effective relationships with young people using age appropriate approaches and communication skills to identify individual’s interests, strengths, areas of concern/need

• Maintain a community-based programme for young people using various social models and motivational approaches that are appropriate to the young person’s physical health and personal preferences

• Use motivational techniques to engage with young people and act as an advocate on their behalf. Assist colleagues in effective communication with young people to achieve this aim

• Work on a one-to-one basis with young people who are being treated in isolation or who do not wish to engage in group activities

• Collaborate with colleagues to identify health and wellbeing issues for patients. Also signpost to age appropriate services, health promotion and awareness materials

• The ability to visit young people and offer support at home or in their local hospital when necessary and appropriate

• Work with the North West YSC team to develop and deliver an annual calendar of events for patients (to include a residential programme) and their families

• Encourage activities to maintain and promote patients link with friends, family and home

• Prepare patients for, and support patients through, invasive and non-evasive medical procedures, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery

• Provide one-to-one support for young people having treatment; both in hospital and at home. Support may be provided by a number of medias; face to face, text, telephone, home visit (where necessary), zoom/MS Teams, website, emails, written information

• To participate in the annual Teenage Cancer Trust residential programme

• Working within the YSC service to maintain constant management of the TYA ‘Facebook’ page and report any concerns to the line manager

• Provide, where necessary and appropriate, support for family members (particularly siblings), partners and friends of young people.

Patient Involvement and advocacy

• Assist in the running of the user/patient feedback activity to ensure young people’s ideas and thoughts are captured and acted upon where possible

• Collaborate with colleagues to develop age-appropriate methods for gaining feedback from young people and supporting their input into