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Immediate Support Coordinator (Somerset and Devon)

Reports to: Bereavement Services Manager for England

Salary: Starting at £26,500 per annum

Location: Home working with regular travel throughout the area

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours over 5 days

Context of Role

2wish support anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We provide immediate casework support, as well as ongoing services including counselling, complementary therapies, play therapy, coffee mornings, support events and a respite cottage.

As we continue to expand our services across England the successful candidate will play a central role in the ongoing development of our relationships with stakeholders. Initiative and drive play an integral part of ensuring our professional stakeholders remain engaged and champion our service to those we support. The post holder will provide immediate and ongoing emotional and practical support to families, friends, witnesses and professionals affected by the sudden death of a child or young adult.

Main Duties include:

To initiate immediate support for a caseload of families whose children and young people aged 0-25 have died suddenly and unexpectedly across the county you reside in and bordering counties.
Complete an initial assessment of families' needs to identify and plan the support as required in line with safeguarding and risk reduction.
Offer emotional support and advice to a case load of families through home visits and ongoing weekly telephone calls.
To liaise with the Counselling Support and Outreach Coordinator, who is responsible for organising formal support such as counselling, complementary therapy or play therapy, subject to consent from the bereaved individual.
To work with hospital staff, GP’s, police officers, coroner offices, mental health teams and other healthcare professionals to raise awareness of and promote referrals into the charity from the county you reside in and bordering counties.
To deliver awareness training in hospitals and other healthcare settings, schools and workplaces on the use of the bereavement boxes, the services we offer, how to refer into the charity and bereavement awareness.
To ensure families have been offered a memory box and coordinate these when required.
Facilitate debriefs within professional settings following a traumatic or sudden death of a child or young person.
To work with hospital trusts to establish and maintain the upkeep of suitable bereavement suites for bereaved individuals to use as required.

Experience:

Experience of working in a health, social care or emergency setting.
Experience of working with people in distress.
Experience of working with vulnerable people, including families and/or children.
Experience of managing a high case load with varying needs.
Working within a multi-agency and legislative framework.

Knowledge:

Have a good understanding of bereavement and the effects of grief on bereaved individuals and their families.
Have a good understanding of child and adult protection issues and how to respond to safeguard effectively.
Understand the principles of risk assessment and risk management for bereaved individuals and their families.
Understand and be committed to equal opportunities and diversity issues in policy and practice.

Skills/Qualifications/Abilities:

Hold a degree in relevant field or demonstrate equivalent experience or a vocational qualification.
Have strong crisis management skills and the ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations.
Excellent interpersonal skills with families and ability to form compassionate relationships whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
Ability to plan and organise workload, prioritising as appropriate, evidencing effective time management and crisis intervention skills.

Personal Qualities:

Car driver with willingness and ability to drive in residing county, surrounding areas and Head Office in South Wales.
Act with integrity and respect when working with all bereaved families, agencies and individuals.
Show initiative and be proactive when managing your caseload.
Computer literate in Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint