Job overview
Are you looking for a new and exciting challenge, are you highly motivated and innovative with excellent communication skills and a calm approach ?
An exciting opportunity has come up for a confident, enthusiastic and caring mental health support worker to join our friendly and dedicated team on Hedgehog our Children’s Ward.
If you have the ability to interact well with children and young people, are passionate and willing to listen to what they have to say and are interested in learning and applying new skills then we would love to hear from you.
There are financially supported opportunities for you to develop your knowledge and skills including training on supporting Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Youth work with apprenticeships including a pathway into paediatric nursing registration.
Main duties of the job
This is an essential role within the team and you will have a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children, young people and their parents. You will support recovery and provide care to children and young people who are in a mental health or behavioural related crisis on the children’s ward- ensuring the care experienced is positive and that the child/ young person’s safety is maintained.
Having the right values and attitude to working in a busy and often challenging environment are essential. You will be supported by experienced and knowledgeable staff on the unit, including our Mental Health Liaison Nurses .
You will also pro-actively support the Registered Nurses to provide high quality, holistic, child centred care within the multi-disciplinary team. This will include giving clinical and personal care to other patients on the unit as required and helping the ward staff to maintain a suitable environment to provide the highest standard of care possible.
Although experience of working with healthcare, specifically mental health or learning disabilities is desirable – we would welcome individuals who have experience working with children and young people but do not have this experience on a band 2 to 3 apprenticeship pathway.
Working for our organisation
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?
We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it’s adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
to hear what our staff say.
Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
1. At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
2. Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a employer contribution of 23.7% and life assurance benefits
3. Blue Light card eligibility
4. And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We’ve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
If appointed, you will undertake a comprehensive induction programme, including the corporate induction and dedicated training days for Healthcare Support Workers. This will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to carry out your role effectively.
The induction programme is full-time for one week, with an additional 1–2 days depending on your previous experience. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory, and training days will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and may be at either Maidstone Hospital or Tunbridge Wells Hospital.
Following induction, you will complete a two-week supernumerary period within your clinical area, during which you will be supported by members of the education team. Ongoing support will also be provided to help you complete the Care Certificate (if not already achieved) and the required competencies relevant to your clinical area.
If you do not currently hold a nationally recognised Care Certificate obtained in a healthcare setting from a registered provider, you can commence this role as a Trainee Healthcare Support Worker, Band 2. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will assist you with on-the-job training to complete your Care Certificate within the 6-month probationary period, with a minimum completion time being 3 months. Upon successful completion of the Care Certificate, you will progress to a Band 3 Healthcare Support Worker.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
5. Hold a nationally approved Care Certificate – this must have been obtained in a healthcare setting.
Desirable criteria
6. National youth agency accredited youth work qualification
7. Diploma in child and adolescent mental health practice or equivalent experience
8. Hold an NVQ/ Diploma level 3 in Healthcare/ or level 3 Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship or equivalent experience.
9. Functional skills English and maths level 2 or GCSE English and maths grades A*/9 – C/4.
Experience/Knowledge
Essential criteria
10. Experience of working with children and young people in varied contexts
11. Awareness and understanding of mental health and emotional problems including self-harm, suicide and eating disorders
12. Experience as a Healthcare Support Worker / Youth worker
Desirable criteria
13. Experience of multidisciplinary working
14. Previous experience of working with children and young people with Mental Illness/ neurodiversity
Skills
Essential criteria
15. Ability to communicate with children and young people and families around sensitive issues
16. Well-developed organisational skills
17. Skills in supporting young people and families with emotional and behavioural issues
18. Excellent interpersonal & communication skills.
19. Ability to work under pressure with a positive ‘can do’ attitude
Desirable criteria
20. Skills in engaging children and young people in recover focused, resilience building exercises