Specialist Carer Grade 6 (Equivalent to Band 4) part-time
This role may be perfect for you if you are currently, or have been, a Healthcare Assistant. At Noah’s Ark you'll have opportunity to build on your experience and be trained to a more specialist level.
Main duties of the job
We’re expanding our team and are looking for more Specialist Carers to join our charity. You’ll be joining an award-winning, certified Outstanding team, who do all they can to empower children and families to experience as much life as possible.
As a Specialist Carer, you’ll provide life‑changing care for babies, children and young people with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions. You’ll work in collaboration with their family, multidisciplinary teams and your other Noah’s Ark colleagues.
You’ll be encouraged to put the experience of children and families at the heart of all you do. In addition to understanding their clinical needs, you’ll get to know what’s important to each child you support. Whether it’s knowing what their favourite song is, how they like to play, or what soothes them when they are sad – at Noah’s Ark it’s so important that every child is treated as an individual.
By providing care at our state‑of‑the‑art building, The Ark, or in the community, you’ll allow parents and carers to take time for themselves. The hours of care you provide will make a huge difference, giving them the chance to live life outside of their child’s condition and creating choice.
As a Band 4 Specialist Carer you will be a senior carer who supports and trains junior colleagues, leads care‑planning reviews, projects and meetings, and is a guiding reassuring presence for families during end‑of‑life care.
About Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice
We exist to help babies, children and young people with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. Our mission is to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, not patients, and to empower families rather than just caring for them.
We listen to families and provide services tailored to each individual, from diagnosis onward. Our expert staff and trained volunteers can provide support in families’ homes, in the community or at our state‑of‑the‑art building, The Ark, in Barnet.
Job responsibilities & About the role
You’ll provide life‑changing care for babies, children and young people with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions, working with families, multidisciplinary teams and other Noah’s Ark colleagues. Your day‑to‑day tasks will include:
* Putting the experience of children and families at the heart of all you do
* Getting to know what’s important to each child you support
* Supporting children to experience things they may never have thought possible
* Providing care at The Ark or in the community to allow parents and carers to have time for themselves
* Actively leading care‑planning reviews, projects and meetings
* Working with other healthcare professionals to create as much comfort as possible for families
About you
You’ll have experience caring for babies, children and young people with complex health needs and will be competent in a range of complex nursing skills. You understand the power of play and enjoy creating experiences and activities for those you care for.
You share our core values of kindness, excellence and courage, thrive working autonomously and collaborate with team members, other healthcare professionals and the families you support.
You will understand and adhere to policies and procedures at all times, underpinned by competency in clinical skills and working under the delegation of a registered children’s nurse.
You will be available to work a variety of shifts, including days, evenings, nights and weekends. You will have a full UK driving licence and access to your own car. You will be paid for travel time, reimbursed for car parking and have a generous mileage allowance.
What you’ll get
You’ll join an award‑winning, certified Outstanding team who hold the highest standards for holistic paediatric palliative care. 95 % of families surveyed reported having a very positive experience of Noah’s Ark – you’ll help bring that number even higher.
You’ll receive extensive ongoing training led by our dedicated Learning and Development Team, so you can deliver the very best care.
When you’re not providing support out in the community, you’ll be based at our stunning hospice building, The Ark, set on a 7.5‑acre nature reserve.
You’ll start with 25 days holiday, rising by a day every year up to 30 days, life assurance and a generous pension plan. We also have free parking, delicious subsidised meals from our in‑house café and a dedicated wellbeing team who put on regular events for the entire charity.
You’ll join a workplace where staff engagement scores above the hospice average, with 92 % of staff feeling they are able to be their full selves at work.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Minimum of GCSE grade C in English and Maths (or equivalent)
* QCF/NVQ level 2 or 3 health/social care (or equivalent) or care certificate
* N/A
Skills / Knowledge / Experience
* At least 2 years experience of working with or caring for babies, children and young people with life‑threatening and life‑limiting conditions, including children with special needs.
* Experience of providing play and fun when caring for babies, children and young people.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Good organisational skills with ability to manage own caseload.
* Evidence of supporting/teaching junior colleagues.
* Experience working with babies, children and young people with life‑threatening and life‑limiting conditions including those with special needs.
* Experience of leading meetings, projects, link roles, care plan reviews.
Behavioural / Personal
* Enthusiastic and keen to learn.
* Kind, caring and committed to provide high quality care.
* Flexible availability to work unsocial hours – evenings, nights, weekends, last minute changes.
* Confidence and initiative to lone work in different home environments and also work effectively as part of a team.
* Passionate to develop nursing care skills and competencies of self and others.
* Willingness to undertake an ongoing competency based training and assessment of complex nursing care.
* A mature approach to personal and professional boundary setting with children, young people and their families.
* Live Noah’s Arks values – kindness, courage and excellence.
* N/A
Misc
* Enhanced DBS with Child & Adult Barring.
* Willing to undergo Occupational Health Assessment and receive immunisations where applicable.
* Full UK drivers licence.
* Provide Evidence of right to work in the UK.
* N/A
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr