Community Chaplain (SE London Suicide Bereavement Service)

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for the appointment of a Community Chaplain in the award-winning Suicide Bereavement Service, delivered by SLaM together with local Mind partners. The service offers a community resource with open access to all people of all ages bereaved by suicide. The team provides direct support and signposting, with the aim of reducing the risk of further deaths by suicide in this vulnerable group.

We are seeking an experienced Chaplain who can work flexibly and compassionately to deliver effective pastoral care within a community setting to those bereaved by suicide. You will have substantial pastoral experience and teamworking skills.

You must be open to the needs of people of all faiths and none. You will need to be able to work with sensitivity, respect other team members, and be open to learning. The role is demanding, so you will need to be emotionally intelligent and able to work creatively within clear professional guidelines to manage difficult situations whilst being a reflective practitioner. You will need to be able to travel throughout South East London and be available for occasional evening and weekend working.

This unique chaplaincy role offers the opportunity to build meaningful relationships and be alongside people through journeys of grief, trauma and healing. You will join a close, passionate team and be supported through regular supervision and reflective practice. For the right candidate, this is a deeply rewarding role.

Main duties of the job

To provide pastoral, spiritual and emotional care to people of all ages who have been bereaved by suicide, helping them to cope and minimising their risk of serious mental health problems or suicide attempts. You will manage your own caseload of service users. This care will also include providing practical support, signposting and facilitating group support, as well as employing knowledge of grief and trauma to help guide people in understanding and managing their responses to loss.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• 1.       Manage a caseload of service users bereaved through suicide, building trusting relationships and being their main point of contact during their time with the service 2.       Provide compassionate and non-judgemental emotional support that helps people to cope and to process their grief 3.       Provide pastoral, spiritual and religious support as required by service users 4.       Provide practical support, including regarding tasks and arrangements which need to be completed in the aftermath of the bereavement 5.       Seek out and provide appropriate resources to support the wellbeing and holistic care of service users 6.       Develop and maintain a good theoretical understanding of grief and trauma 7.       Undertake skilled assessments of service users’ needs and develop person-centred plans for their support 8.       Identify and manage risks, including through discussion with colleagues and through onward referral where appropriate 9.       Support people to advocate for themselves, including attending meetings to help facilitate this where appropriate 10.   Work with colleagues and volunteers to lead peer support groups and walks 11.   Work in an outcome-focused way to ensure that people derive real benefit from the service 12.   Develop an excellent knowledge of services and sources of support available in SE London and empower people to access them, including by signposting and making referrals 13.   Develop and maintain good working relationships with a wide range of statutory and voluntary sector organisations across SE London 14.   Work closely with colleagues in the suicide bereavement team employed by South East London Mind and Mind in Bexley, under the supervision of the Service Manager, to ensure the delivery of a coherent service 15.   Keep accurate records using the relevant software and contribute to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the service as required, including ensuring that outcome measures are completed and recorded in a timely and accurate way 16.   Contribute to other work in the service as required, for example outreach with local communities, delivering workshops or contacting new referrals 17.   Take a leading role in planning and delivering an annual non-denominational service of remembrance on World Suicide Prevention Day 18.   Follow good practice, adhering to the UKBHC Code of Conduct for Healthcare Chaplains