About this role
Job summary
We hope to appoint a chaplain of any faith or belief to join our team. This post will have particular responsibility for supporting families of children who are palliative or who have been bereaved. The post will be based in the SWFT chaplaincy team but will work closely with the community children's nursing team and will be part of their MDT. They will also work closely with the acute paediatric nursing team, based in the hospital.
They will provide holistic, emotional, pastoral, spiritual and sometimes religious care to families who are dealing with intense challenge and distress. They will help families to find meaning in what is happening for them and their children and ensure parents have a voice in decision-making about their child's care. They will support staff who care for very sick and dying children, and provide training for bereavement support, compassionate conversations, and staff wellbeing. They will help staff in the identification of spiritual and religious need.
They will build links with local charities and with faith communities and will signpost families to relevant support. They will help families to make meaningful rituals before or after their child's death. They will support with funeral planning, and with memorials.
For children who die in the care of the CCNT, they will act as keyworker for the child death review process, whereby every child's death is reviewed.
As part of the chaplaincy team, they will take part in the out of hours on call rota
Main duties of the job
The team chaplain and keyworker is to work with the whole Chaplaincy Team and with other healthcare professionals in the delivery of holistic, pastoral, spiritual, emotional and religious care to families whose children are palliative or who have died, in the community and in the hospital.
About us
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2
We appreciate you completing the survey.
Job description Job responsibilities
Knowledge, Training and Expertise
For children who die in the care of the Community Childrens Nursing Team, the postholder will act as keyworker for the child death review process, whereby every childs death is reviewed. This aspect of the role requires the post holder to:
o be a reliable and readily accessible point of contact for the family after their childs death,
o help co-ordinate meetings between the family and professionals,
o provide information on the child death review process and the course of any investigations pertaining to the child, including liaising with the coroners officer and any police family liaison officer;
o represent the voice of the parents at professional meetings, ensure that their questions are effectively addressed,
o provide feedback to the family afterwards
o signpost to expert bereavement support if required.
With the whole chaplaincy team, act as keyworker when required in the event of a sudden unexpected death of an infant or child (SUDIC)
Contribute to the development of spiritual healthcare in a multi-faith setting, being sensitive to and aware of the varying pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of diverse ethnic groups, and to assist staff on responding to their needs.
Assist and advise external partners, e.g. representatives of faith communities, in the pastoral care of their people while in the care of the Trust, and to receive information from them, always observing the rules of confidentiality by which every NHS employee is bound.
Adhere to the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Chaplains (2024) of the Council of Professional Chaplains & Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC)
Communication Skills and Working Relationships
Be an informed, visible, and active presence in the Trust; taking part in MDT meetings and ensuring that the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of families and staff are met.
Communicate clearly and empathetically with, families, children and staff at all times.
To use advanced communication skills and inter-personal skills to give and receive complex information often in sensitive or intense situations, e.g. following receipt of bad news or where there may be barriers to understanding or acceptance.
Work with the paediatric teams to offer support to parents and families experiencing childs illness and child loss at any age.
Actively offer a ministry of encouragement to staff and offer time and space for supportive listening and counsel when sought.
Help families and staff articulate their pastoral, spiritual, emotional or religious needs and identify resources to address them.
Analytical and Judgement Skills
Contribute to the provision of training for bereavement support, compassionate conversations, and staff wellbeing.
Help staff in the identification of spiritual and religious need.
Contribute to education programs within the Trust to enhance understanding of spiritual, cultural, and religious needs of patients and staff.
Provide support to members of multi-disciplinary teams engaged in pastoral and spiritual assessment or referral, to help this become a standard part of patient care.
Planning and Organisational Skills
Plan and organise own workload.
Plan, organise and conduct childrens funerals, thanksgiving, memorial, and other services as required.
Freedom to Act
Initiate and take responsibility for own work pattern within the parameters of national standards and Trust polices.
Attend appropriate meetings related to work, both inside and outside the Trust.
Be a part of the Chaplaincy response within the Trusts major incident plans and response.
Management Responsibility
Supervise trainee chaplains and chaplaincy volunteers as required.
Responsibility for Patient Care
Provide specialised advice, and pastoral/spiritual/religious support.
Make provision for complex spiritual, pastoral or religious needs of families and staff.Help families or staff articulate their pastoral, spiritual and religious needs and identify resources to address them.
Be readily available and supportive to families, particularly those who are bereaved or struggling with diagnosis, and those who are close to the end of life, to ensure that sensitive, efficient, and appropriate pastoral or spiritual care is given at all times.
Respond to the practical and existential needs arising from the impact of illness, death and dying on individuals and families.
To facilitate, when requested, visits to patients by their own faith leader.
Responsibility for Policy/Service Development
Assist in providing a comprehensive spiritual, pastoral and religious care service to the Trust, including provision of spiritual healthcare information.
Share responsibility for the implementation of policy and service development within Trust parameters.
Share in the implementation of pastoral, spiritual and religious healthcare polices.
Contribute to the professional development of the chaplaincy team.
Review own working practice in conjunction with line manager, and propose changes as appropriate.
Contribute to making the whole Trust a place of equality for people of all faiths, beliefs, spiritualities and none.
Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resource
Handle donations to chaplaincy from members of the public as needed, ensuring all correct procedures are followed.
Responsibility for Information Resources
Maintain adequate notes of referrals and work done, on chaplaincy work record and, where appropriate, in-patient medical notes.
Access Lorenzo, Badgernet, Digit and EPR for patient information.
Responsibility for Research and Development
Undertake surveys and audits necessary for own work and for research and development purposes.
Physical Skills/Physical Effort
The post holder needs to be able to access wards, departments and peoples homes, and be at ease by a patients bedside. There is also a degree of computer and desk work.
Accompany relatives in viewing of deceased patients in the mortuary as required.
Mental Effort
The work pattern is unpredictable and there are frequent interruptions. The post holder needs to be able to prioritise, and re-prioritise at speed.
Emotional Effort
The post holder needs to be able to handle highly distressing or emotional circumstances, e.g. in supporting families or staff following complex or terminal illness, bereavement, or sudden death of infants or children.
The post holder needs to have a developed self-awareness and commitment to seeking help when needed.
The post holder needs to be able to respond and minister with integrity to people who hold a philosophy, belief or faith system different to their own.
Engage in regular reflective practice.
Maintain a strong patient and family focus throughout the course of the patients care in the Trust.
To participate in the emergency out of hours on call provision across the whole Trust.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent work or life experience) with demonstrable learning in a relevant field such as counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology. Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by a recognized/established sponsoring faith community or belief group. Evidence of annual continued professional development relevant to healthcare chaplaincy to Council of Professional Chaplains & Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC) standards.
Desirable
Post-graduate qualification (or equivalent life or work experience or working towards) with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy Registration, or ability to be registered with the UKBHC Qualification (or working towards) in pastoral supervision (such as those recommended by APSE), coaching, management or leadership
Experience Essential
At least 2 years full time experience, or equivalent, of working as a designated healthcare chaplain
Desirable
Experience of supervising volunteers
Skills Essential
Demonstrable knowledge of tenets of own faith/belief tradition Knowledge of and engagement with faith/belief traditions beyond own Evidence of proactive practice of CPD Knowledge of current research in healthcare chaplaincy Evidence of offering spiritual care beyond own faith/belief boundaries with evidence of commitment to an inclusive approach to chaplaincy Evidence of reflecting critically on the practice and experience of providing pastoral care, and on finding/searching for meaning through exploration of spiritual issues encountered in sickness, mental health, dying, death and bereavement Evidence of the ability to manage time prioritizing workload including a commitment to continuity of service provision
Desirable
Engagement with safeguarding, information governance, audit, service evaluation or research Training in research, audit and service evaluation Ability to deliver training at a variety of levels Ability to adapt ritual (which can come from a variety of sources) in an appropriate style to context in clinical environments Cultural competence and religious literacy in diverse religious, spiritual and pastoral traditions Ability to lead reflective practice Act as an informed theological/philosophical and ethical resource in complex pastoral and clinical situations Evidence of self-care to enhance resilience or manage stress - e.g. meditation, prayer, exercise, journalling, reflective supervision
Personal Qualities Essential
Evidence of working collaboratively, contributing to team and sustaining positive working relationships with colleagues Evidence of establishing and sustaining relationships in pastorally complex and challenging environments, demonstrating empathy and compassion while taking personal responsibility and initiative Evidence of fluent and effective communication in speech and writing Evidence of practising professionally within recognised boundaries in [pastorally diverse settings (as set out in the Code of Conduct) Ability to create and lead ritual or other spiritual process in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief traditions of those present Possession of a professional chaplaincy identity rooted in ones one religious/spiritual/pastoral heritage that integrates professional values and behaviours, skills and specialist knowledge Emotional availability, cultural humility, and a positive use of power and authority, within clear and responsible boundaries A high degree of personal stability and resilience to cope with significant stress on a sustained basis Ability to apply theoretical knowledge or ethical issues relating to health care Commitment to work within UKBHC Code of Conduct
Other Essential
Access to own transport Ability to attend an urgent on-call referral, out of hours, within 60 minutes
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Address Warwick Hospital
Lakin Road
Warwick
CV34 5BW
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.swft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)