Immediate Support Coordinator - England

Objective:

2wish exists to provide support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under.

Aims:

• Ensure every Emergency Department and Critical Care unit has a suitable bereavement suite
• Ensure that bereavement boxes are available at each of these hospitals
• Ensure that immediate bereavement support is available for all affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide a professional counselling service and other therapies for those affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support and training to professionals from any sector who may be affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• To advocate and campaign on behalf of suddenly bereaved families

Context of role:

2wish support anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We provide immediate casework support, as well as ongoing services including counselling, complementary therapies, play therapy, coffee mornings, support events and a respite cottage.

As we continue to expand our services across England the successful candidate will play a central role in the ongoing development of our relationships with stakeholders. Initiative and drive play an integral part of ensuring our professional stakeholders remain engaged and champion our service to those we support. The post holder will provide immediate and ongoing emotional and practical support to families, friends, witnesses and professionals affected by the sudden death of a child or young adult.

Main duties:

Service:

• To initiate immediate support for a caseload of families whose children and young people aged 0-25 have died suddenly and unexpectedly across the county you reside in and bordering counties
• To contact all families within 24-48 hours of the referrals by telephone
• Complete an initial assessment of families' needs to identify and plan the support as required in line with safeguarding and risk reduction
• Offer emotional support and advice to a case load of families through home visits and ongoing weekly telephone calls
• To liaise with the Counselling Support and Outreach Coordinator, who is responsible for organising formal support such as counselling, complementary therapy or play therapy, subject to consent from the bereaved individual
• To work with hospital staff, GP’s, police officers, coroner offices, mental health teams and other healthcare professionals to raise awareness of and promote referrals into the charity from the county you reside in and bordering counties
• To liaise with other professionals working alongside the family to provide a holistic and multiagency approach to support 
• Attend relevant forums within the area
• To deliver awareness training in hospitals and other healthcare settings, schools and workplaces on the use of the bereavement boxes, the services we offer, ho to refer into the charity and bereavement awareness
• To ensure families have been offered a memory box and coordinate these when required
• Facilitate debriefs within professional settings following a traumatic or sudden death of a child or young person
• To work with hospital trusts to establish and maintain the upkeep of suitable bereavement suites for bereaved individuals to use as required
• Maintain stock of 2wish memory boxes and deliver boxes to partner organisations as required
• To submit monthly/quarterly/annual reports to Bereavement Services Manager as required
• To signpost and/or refer to other agencies as required that can provide support as needed
• Cover members of the support team for annual leave and/or sickness
• To travel to attend in-person team meetings and in-person training as required

General:

• To be responsible for organising own work agenda, time management and administration
• To show respect and sensitivity for the cultural and religious beliefs of families
• To undertake learning opportunities and seek them out for the team
• To adhere to all company policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Confidentiality, Health and Safety and Lone Working; and to be proactive in implementing new safe working practices as appropriate
• To attend weekend and evening community events in support of the charity as necessary
• Participate as and when required in team meetings and one-to-one meetings, and undertake, as appropriate, courses/training/other developmental activities, which is relevant to the role
• Contribute on the social media platforms maintained by 2wish

It is the nature of the work that tasks and responsibilities are in may circumstances unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work in a flexible way and tasks, which are not specifically covered in their job description may have to be undertaken.

You will be subject to performance review, which will incorporate a review of the above duties and performance over the period.

This role is subject to a DBS check

Additional benefits for our employees:

• An 'Employee Assistance Programme,' including wellbeing support
• Free parking on 2wish premises
• Free branded 2wish clothing
• An extra annual leave day on your birthday
• Incremental increase in holiday entitlement based on length of service
• Paid sick leave
• Discounts for personal purchases on 2wish Merchandise
• Discounted tickets to UK 2wish events for staff and family
• Extra holiday entitlement when taking part in 2wish overseas events
• Company mobile phone for performance of duties
• Tools/equipment required for the performance of duties
• Reimbursement of work expenses
• Bright Exchange employee discounts
• Auto-enrolment into company contributory pension scheme after 3 months service

What we do for you:

Salary: Starting salary of £26,500 per annum, with the opportunity for an increase through the annual appraisal structure.

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Normal office hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday, although alternative hours may be worked with line manager agreement. Work outside office hours may sometimes be necessary and will be compensated for by time off in lieu.

Annual leave: 28 days plus bank holidays. Annual leave steadily increases after five years of service. Annual leave and statutory holidays are calculated on a pro rata basis where applicable.

Pension: 2wish operate a contributory pension scheme. 2wish will auto-enrol you into the scheme in accordance with it's auto-enrolment obligations. Full details of the scheme will be provided to you once you are enrolled, including the minimum level of contributions that you will be required to make during your membership (current contributions - employer 3% and employee 5%).

Mileage: A fixed rate allowance is payable for agreed mileage undertaken on 2wish business in a private vehicle, over and above your usual journey to your workplace/s.

Location: This post is predominantly home based, with regular travel across the areas you will be covering and some travel to our Head Office in South Wales.

How to apply: Please return a CV and covering letter, or a CV and two-minute video, by email.

Closing date: Friday 3rd January 2025. Interviews will commence on Monday 6th January 2025.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible. Only those shortlisted will be contacted for an interview.

Interviews may take place prior to the advertised closing date.