Youth Worker

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Youth Worker to join the Play and Youth Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. This is a cross-site role, based across both the Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex University Hospital sites.

As Hospital Youth Worker you will work across all paediatric wards, primarily with adolescent patients 11+ who are experiencing difficulty in their hospital admission. You will carry out 1-1 support, group work (where covid measures allow) and family support and work closely with the multi-disciplinary team to improve care for adolescent patients.

As part of the role you will also develop and lead “Our Voice”, the hospital youth forum which allows patients, former patients and their siblings to regularly come together to express their views and opinions about their hospital experience and work together to help improve services available to them.

The role works very closely with the Paediatric Physiotherapy team and the wider MDT team.

Main duties of the job

• To work primarily with adolescent patients experiencing difficulty in managing hospital admission/procedures, using evidence based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic interventions.
• To develop and lead a young people’s youth forum comprising patients, former patients and siblings aged 11 – 18 years.
• To develop and deliver regular group sessions and activities for adolescent inpatients.
• To work with the multi-disciplinary team in improving care for adolescent patients.
• To supervise Play Service students on placement and student nurses in all areas.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical/Therapeutic

• To plan and implement interventions to achieve appropriate goals for the individual patient.
• To use knowledge and understanding of child development to contribute to assessments and  overall, long term care planning.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify interventions in order to measure child’s progress and ensure  effectiveness of care planned.
• To support children, young people and families or carers under stress and in crisis. Communication
• To establish effective communication, both verbal and written, with all members of the  multidisciplinary team in child health and in other departments of the hospital where children  and young people are treated.
• Engage in effective communication with a variety of ages and those with complex needs.
• To develop a communication strategy to enable recruitment to the youth forum, as well as the  on-going promotion of this group.
• Maintain good communication with Patient and Public Engagement and Experience Group  (PPEE) about the work of youth forum and continue to share their feedback. Documentation
• To ensure that up to date written records and activity data are maintained in accordance with  Professional and Trust policy.
• To document all feedback, discussions and outcomes that arises within youth forum meetings.Professional Ethics
• To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and their families,  and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
• To demonstrate the ability to reflect on ethical issues and to provide guidance to junior staff as  necessary. Leadership, Supervision & Appraisal Youth Worker Job Description July 24 Page 9
• To undertake the supervision of junior staff as required.
• To demonstrate leadership skills through the management and development of the youth forum. Training Staff & Students
• To participate in the training/education of students and other members of the multidisciplinary  team about adolescent engagement.Service Development & Delivery
• To participate in the planning, evaluation and audit of practice, care pathways and protocols.
• To work with the adolescent team in the planning of a new environment suited to the patient’s particular needs.

Please see full job description.