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Job overview
Senior Youth Support Coordinator BAND 5 37.5 hrs per week, 12 month Fixed Term Contract Funded by UCLH Charity Cancer Fund Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Services/Play and Youth Services Team.
An exciting opportunity has arisen at UCLH for a Senior Youth Support Coordinator to join a highly respected Play and Youth services team! To be successful in this role, you will have relevant qualifications and experience in either youth work, play specialism, teaching or relevant health or social care qualification and you will have extensive experience of working with young people.
We are looking for an exceptional individual who must enjoy working with TYA, be emotionally resilient, have compassion, sensitivity and a sense of humour to work within the busy young people’s cancer service. You will be supporting patients during their treatment and will be vital in reducing their hospital anxiety. You will be proactive in creating and maintaining an age-appropriate environment throughout the young people’s area and facilitate group activities and individual therapeutic sessions with patients.
Main duties of the job
As a YSC, you will be regularly supporting families under stress. You will need to be able to engage easily with young people and be able to work effectively with your MDT colleagues to enhance the young person’s hospital experience. You will work as part of a supportive team where play and recreation is valued and respected as an integrated part of young people’s treatment. The post holder will be responsible for providing both individually tailored and group support. You will work in partnership with other YSC colleagues and contribute to a wide range of appropriate recreational activities. The YSC role involves enabling and encouraging patients to socialise and remain active as young people throughout their cancer journey, living with and beyond cancer.
The post holder will need to be able to work flexible hours including weekends and Bank Holidays. The post holder will also need to have a diploma or equivalent in a relevant subject such as youth work, psychology, social sciences or play specialism.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff – To find out more, visit: Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 2 years’ post qualifying and recent, comprehensive experience of working with children and/or young people preferably in a health care or social setting and aged 13-24 years delivering age appropriate activities.
- Excellent communication skills, engagement and cooperation/motivational techniques with young people from a range of ages and backgrounds.
- Experience of organising and running a range of youth-focussed activities including residential and non-residential group and peer support activities.
- Ability to coordinate, organise and facilitate a programme of 1:1 and group activities that benefit young people.
- Experience of providing family centred care and working with the extended family.
- Comprehensive experience of leading play/recreation activities for babies, children and/or young people.
- Proven ability in project work involving youth participation/engagement.
Desirable
- Experience of working with children and/or young people with additional needs, learning disabilities or neurodiverse including those with challenging behaviours.
- Experience of supporting, teaching, training, assessing and supervising junior staff, students and/or volunteers and applying presentation skills through formal and/or informal teaching of students and staff.
- Experience of undertaking risk assessment and addressing risk/safeguarding issues for 1:1 and group activities with young people.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Able to work flexible hours and weekends according to needs of clinical area.
- Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development
Desirable
- Up to date registration with SOHPS, if required for qualification.
- Membership of Professional Body
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to communicate complex information effectively with patients, families and staff, in written, verbal and nonverbal forms.
- To work as part of the Play and Youth Services Team and various clinical teams as well as work independently to meet the needs of children and young people, ability to manage own case loads and maintain effective time management skills.
- Sufficient IT skills using various programmes such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel as well as ability to transfer skills to effectively use online medical note programmes.
- Ability to work as an individual as well as within a team, effectively and efficiently.
Knowledge & Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Youth worker, or equivalent or Registered Health Play Specialist holding the Foundation Degree in Health Care Play Specialism or previous HPSC/HPSEB, Edexcel PDC/HND in Hospital Play Specialism or oversees equivalent
- Recent, comprehensive experience of working with children/ young people in a health care setting, in a variety of clinical areas and/or vast experience in specialised field.
Desirable
- Bachelor’s Degree or Post-graduate qualifications (or overseas equivalent) in a subject relevant to work with children and/or young people.
- Training relevant to area of work eg Counselling, Teaching, Duke of Edinburgh Award leader, communication technology, youth participation. Membership/registration with a youth worker group
- Knowledge of and ability to analyse professional and ethical issues, including professional boundaries, clinical governance and safeguarding children policies and practice.
- Applied knowledge of recent health policy & guidance.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Senior Youth Support Coordinator with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 5 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £38,488 - £46,852 Per annum inclusive of HCAS. The contract type is Fixed term: 12 months (Limited funding). The application deadline is 09 Jul 2026.
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