Specialist Carer - Band 4 (part-time)

NHS; Chipping Barnet; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job description

This role may be perfect for you if you are currently, or have been, a Healthcare Assistant. At Noah’s Ark you'll have opportunity to build on your experience and be trained to a more specialist level.

Main duties of the job

We’re expanding our team and are looking for more Specialist Carers to join our charity. You’ll be joining an award-winning, certified Outstanding team, who do all they can to empower children and families to experience as much life as possible.

As a Specialist Carer, you’ll provide life-changing care for babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. You’ll do this by working in collaboration with their family, multidisciplinary teams and your other Noah’s Ark colleagues.

You’ll be encouraged to put the experience of children and families at the heart of all you do. As well as understanding their clinical needs, you’ll get to know what’s important to each child you support. Whether it’s knowing what their favourite song to listen to is, how they like to play, or what soothes them when they are sad - at Noah’s Ark it’s so important that each child is treated as an individual. You’ll focus on what children can do, rather than their limitations, and will support them to experience things they may never have thought possible.

By providing care for children, either at our state-of-the art building, The Ark, or out in the community, you’ll be allowing parents and carers to take some time for themselves. The hours of care you’ll provide will make a huge difference, allowing them to live life outside of their child’s condition. By creating this time, you’ll be creating choice – something which can feel impossible for the families we support.

As a Band 4 Specialist Carer, you will be a senior carer in our team and will pass on your skills and experience by supporting and training junior colleagues. You will actively lead care planning reviews, projects and meetings.

Your commitment to children and families will continue through to end-of-life care. You’ll be a guiding reassuring presence for families, and work with other healthcare professionals to create as much comfort as possible.

About us

ABOUT NOAH'S ARK CHILDREN'S HOSPICE

We exist to help babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. Our mission is to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, not patients; as families, not just as carers.

Because everyone deserves to live life as themselves, beyond their condition or circumstances. We do this by listening to families. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so we cater our services to each individual person we support. We can do this from the point of diagnosis.

Our help is available wherever it is needed. Our expert staff and trained volunteers can provide support in a family’s home, in the community, or at our state-of-the-art building, The Ark, in Barnet.

Job responsibilities

Please contact us to discuss the role and hours in more detail.

About you

You’ll have experience caring for babies, children and young people with complex health needs and will be competent in a range of complex nursing skills. You’ll understand the power of play and will enjoy creating experiences and activities for those you are caring for.

Aside from experience, we look for individuals who share our core values of kindness, excellence, and courage. We’ll support you to go above and beyond to be there for the children and families we support – we ask that you share this mission with us.

You’ll thrive working autonomously, confident in your ability to deliver care on your own out in the community. You’ll know the value of collaboration, and will work closely with your team members, other healthcare professionals and the families you support to provide the very best care.

Creativity and play will be central to your approach to care, with the ability to build long-term relationships with the children and families you care for.

You will understand and adhere to policies and procedures at all times, underpinned by competency in clinical skills, working under the delegation of a registered children’s nurse.

You will be available to work a variety of shifts, including days, evenings, nights and weekends. You will have a full UK driving license and access to your own car. You will be paid for travel time, reimbursed for car parking and will have a generous mileage allowance.

What you'll get

You’ll join an award-winning, certified Outstanding team who hold the highest standards for holistic paediatric palliative care. 95% of families surveyed reported having a very positive experience of Noah’s Ark – you’ll help bring that number even higher.

You’ll receive extensive ongoing training, led by our dedicated Learning and Development Team, so you can deliver the very best care.

When you’re not providing support out in the community, you’ll be based at our stunning hospice building The Ark, set on a 7.5-acre nature reserve.

You’ll start with 25 days holiday, rising by a day every year up to 30 days, life assurance, and a generous pension plan. We also have free parking, delicious subsidized meals from our in-house café, and a dedicated wellbeing team who put on regular events for the entire charity.

You’ll join a workplace that scores above the hospice average for staff engagement (according to the independent staff engagement survey), with 92% of staff feeling they are able to be their full selves at work.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

We believe that everyone deserves to be treated equally. It is central to our charity's mission.

We ensure that no member of staff, or job applicant, is treated less favourably because of their sex, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, disability, gender identity or marital status.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will guarantee an interview to those candidates with a disability if they meet the minimum requirements of the role.

We particularly welcome and encourage applications from groups who are currently under-represented in our staff.

DBS

This role requires an enhanced DBS disclosure with Child Barring. Our recruitment checks, induction, as well as ongoing support and supervision reflect our commitment to safeguarding the families we support.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Minimum of GCSE grade C in English and Maths (or equivalent)
• QCF/ NVQ level 2 or 3 health / health and social care (or equivalent) or care certificate

Skills / Knowledge / Experience

• At least 2 years experience of working with or caring for babies, children and young people with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, including children with special needs.
• Experience of providing play and fun when caring for babies, children and young people.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good organisational skills with ability to manage own caseload.
• Evidence of supporting / teaching junior colleagues.
• Experience working with babies, children and young people with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions including those with special needs.
• Experience of leading meetings, projects, link roles, care plan reviews.

Behavioural / Personal

• Enthusiastic and keen to learn.
• Kind, caring and committed to providing high-quality care.
• Flexible availability to work unsocial hours - evenings, nights, weekends, last minute changes.
• Confidence and initiative to lone work in different home environments and also work effectively as part of a team.
• Passionate to develop nursing care skills and competencies of self and others.
• Willingness to undertake ongoing competency-based training and assessment of complex nursing care.
• A mature approach to personal and professional boundary setting with children, young people and their families.
• Live Noah's Ark's values - kindness, courage and excellence.

Misc

• Enhanced DBS with Child & Adult Barring.
• Willing to undergo Occupational Health Assessment and receive immunisations where applicable.
• Full UK driver's license.
• Provide evidence of right to work in the UK.

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.

£31,557 to £34,180 a year pending pay review.