Youth Support Worker

Job overview

The Royal Surrey Cancer Centre is looking for an empathetic and motivated individual to join our Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Service as Youth Support Coordinator. This is a job share where the post holder will be expected to have a strong understanding of person-centred care, with the ability to build supportive relationships with young people aged 16–30 facing cancer.

Applicants should be proactive, well-organised, IT literate, and flexible to work occasional evenings or weekends.

This post requires an experienced, forward thinking, motivated and ambitious person whose contributions will be recognised by a dynamic, professional and friendly team.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) cancer service to provide age-appropriate activities and support to facilitate cognitive, social and emotional development of young people aged 16-30 years. The role will involve working in a TYA-specific clinical areas at The Royal Surrey Foundation Trust Hospital, and some non-hospital settings e.g. external peer support activities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see full job description

SUMMARY

• Taking referrals from clinical staff and identifying appropriate individual, group and peer-support activities to meet the needs of young people.
• Working collaboratively with our youth support coordinator (Job share) to ensure our patients are well supported.
• Co-coordinating, and providing diversionary 1:1 and group activities in the hospital setting ensuring they are well-planned, appropriate and safe for all participants.
• Taking the lead on design and organization of agreed patient group activities outside the hospital setting, with input from TYA team colleagues as appropriate to ensure they are well-planned, appropriate and safe for all participants. This may be outside usual working hours.
• Contributing to the design and implementation of programs to support transition, both in relation to age/development and stages of the cancer care pathway including end of life care
• Developing age-appropriate methods for involving teenagers and young adults in the evaluation and development of services, taking a key role in supporting their involvement.
• Contributing to the development and use of communication technologies to meet the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer.
• This role may include working across hospitals sites within the NHS Trust, and may require travel around the region at times.
• Supporting/ working with Designated Hospitals and Principal Treatment Centers in the region to provide health and well-being events and peer meetings
• Ongoing development of TYA Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group
• Attendance at Teenage Cancer Trust events and regional meetings

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.