Youth Worker

at  Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are offering the exciting opportunity for Youth Workers, to join our team. You will provide and lead, a wide range of appropriate activities to enable young people aged 11-25 years with long term conditions to successfully develop and transition into adulthood .
This is a fixed term contract for 12 Months and an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the importance of youth work within children’s health services. If you are passionate, innovative and have the drive to provide the highest standards of care for children we would like to hear from you.
You will work within all of our paediatric multidisciplinary teams, delivering your expertise and experience in patient advocacy and a voice to our children & young people. Furthermore, using your specific skills to contribute to the care and understanding of the children, young people, their families, and carers. You will help shape and strengthen the service to support a child centred specification. Advising on and developing initiatives and a network of resources that will help our children become confident young adults.
As a Youth Worker, you will ensure the clinic environment is friendly and stimulating. You will encourage and continue to develop a peer group network of support, supervise and mentor students as required. You will work closely with patients and conduct relevant workshops in the community e.g., school. To support the wider hospital youth engagement service and ensure young people from the service to which they are aligned can engage in activities and sessions.
You will receive guidance and support from your line manager and clinical teams. Supervision and peer support from external mentors and forums will also be offered. We want you to be able to develop your own ideas in promoting advocacy and well being and have the confidence to implement them.
We have 10000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.
Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.
You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done.
You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.
To form a good working relationship with the MDT including doctors, nurses, clinical psychologist etc provide a thorough and effective service, meeting the holistic needs of the young person and their families.
To increase engagement with young persons and their families and provide extra support for those additional needs.
Working alongside the young people, use informal or formal assessment to establish the needs of this patient group.
To compile an audit which allows us to analyse the data collected from the surveys and monitor the effectiveness of the youth worker role in improving the overall health and experience of transitional care for the young people and their families.
Using these results, work closely with the healthcare team in establishing an appropriate response to support these young people throughout the service.
To provide and lead youth work activities for Children and young people with Central Lancashire, Chorley and South Ribble.
Ensure appropriate recreational materials and equipment are made available for young people within ward area and outpatient departments.
Encourage and supervise the interaction of young people with activities, with particular emphasis on group work and using motivational approaches, where appropriate.
To devise and develop ways in which peer group support can be achieved.
Ensure the appropriateness of available resources to be updated every quarter.
Work with young people to prepare them for specific activities and treatment plans.
To coordinate and supervise social support networks to encourage social interaction and support to young people in order to aid adjustment to diagnosis. Encourage peer support within this group.
To attend other units where young people may be cared for and provide a link with external agencies where applicable.
To participate in fundraising processes, including suggestions for fundraisers, proposals of contributions to the service and accepting donations at charitable events.
Responsibility for ordering supplies and equipment as appropriate.
To ensure recreational and craft equipment is continually maintained on a regular basis.
To supervise unqualified staff such as youth work, play specialist students and volunteers. Contribute to a learning environment for students and provide mentoring when required.
To coordinate creative and therapeutic activities and implement a range of strategies. Liaise with complementary therapies, music workshop, community and youth groups to contribute to these strategies.
To keep records of the numbers and types of patients receiving recreational services/input and to assess social and emotional capabilities before and after intervention.
To attend unit meetings e.g. clinical governance, action log, staff support regularly. To participate in a range of multidisciplinary meetings both within the trust and outside agencies regularly.
To observe patients and report any relevant information to multi-disciplinary team.
To provide an age appropriate environment in which young people can remain stimulated.
To assist young people to develop links and contacts with other young people with long term conditions.
To develop and maintain a close working relationship with people from the community as well as with those involved in other elements of the team’s work.
To ensure the data of the service provided is captured and presented to the MDT team quarterl

Please refer the Job description for details