Creative Therapist (Bank)

Job responsibilities

Part 1: Job Profile

a) Main purpose of job

The post holder will provide high quality, evidence-based creative therapy to life-limited children and families accessing Shooting Star Childrens Hospices (SSCH). This therapy should be child and family focused, utilising the medium of art, drama, play or other creative techniques, addressing the psychological challenges associated with life-limiting conditions and issues of loss and grief.

The post holder will have a diverse caseload, and provide assessment, individual and possibly group therapy programs with designated children and/or family members, alongside providing advice, education, signposting and support to staff, families, schools and other settings.

b) Work relationships

The post holder is part of the Family Support Team and will work collaboratively with the other multi-disciplinary members of this team (therapists, counsellors, social workers and family support workers), our symptom nursing team, in-house team, community nursing team, care administrators and fundraisers.

The post holder, along with other members of the team, may be called upon to provide support, supervision and training to the Family Support Workers and the wider SSCH Care Team, support staff and volunteers.

The individual in this role will work in partnership with external professionals involved in the care of children and families. Contact and professional networks will need to be maintained with creative therapists at other childrens hospices (and appropriate services), to collect evidence for the development of childrens therapies at SSCH.

c) Decision making authority

The post holder will be required to risk-assess referrals and provide professional opinion concerning the appropriateness and safety of a therapeutic intervention, and the ongoing provision of this.

The post holder will be required to make decisions as to the quality and appropriateness of equipment used in practice and within an agreed budget.

d) Scope of job

As part of our Family Support Service, childrens psychological therapy assessments are offered to life-limited children, young people, siblings (including adult siblings) and families. Assessments are also offered to bereaved siblings, parents and families. This includes families whose child has died suddenly and unexpectedly. Depending on the outcome of the assessment, where appropriate, series of sessions/support are put in place.

Therapy sessions are predominantly provided individually and in groups. Programs may also consist of joint parent and child sessions or family sessions. The post-holder will be one of a large childrens psychological therapists team delivering this service.

As a member of the Family Support Team, the post holder is asked to assess each family holistically and to help engage other professionals internally and externally who may be able to offer specialist support. Within the team, the post holder contributes to the continual multi-disciplinary assessment of families needs, as well as the provision of support, signposting, information sharing, developing resources for children and families.

The postholder is responsible for ensuring and enhancing the quality, safety and effectiveness of psychological support offered to SSCH children and families. This involves seeking innovative, flexible and individualised approaches that meet the psychological needs of children and young people who have experienced trauma. The post holder is responsible for continually developing professional knowledge and skills to respond to evolving needs within childrens palliative care.

Risk assessments, consultations, assessments and sessions for children and families may take place virtually or in-person. Some travel to our other hospice site, family homes and hospitals may also be required for urgent sessions.

Part 2: Main duties and key responsibilities

a) Therapeutic Interventions

To plan and implement individual, joint and family creative therapy sessions safely and effectively:

Complete comprehensive assessments of children and families referred for therapeutic support. To risk assess, identify clinical need, and determine the appropriateness of a creative therapy intervention.

Provide individual, family and group therapy, working within the defined parameters of the SSCH childrens psychological therapies agreement and guidelines.

Utilise creativity and the arts to support a child and family in accessing therapeutic support that meets their psychological need, and to offer opportunity for development and growth.

Work collaboratively with the child and family to carefully consider the aims of therapy programs and to continually review work, identifying outcomes.

Demonstrate safe clinical practice in all aspects of your work with families.

Ensure accurate and contemporaneous notes and records of all contacts are recorded within the electronic notes system.

Ensure the respect, dignity and rights to privacy of children and their families as far as possible, whilst following safeguarding guidelines.

Utilise outcome and evaluation tools throughout clinical interventions to assess, record and measure impact; to continually review aims and approach.

Initiate and participate in effective communication with the other teams within care; to ensure the wider team is informed of any relevant changes in the family or childs needs or circumstances.

To be proactive in forming effective inter-agency collaboration with schools, GPs, social care and other external professionals.

Produce written reports to a high standard, when requested.

Manage own time and prioritise workload, providing a flexibility in the service delivery that is responsive to families individual and changing needs.

To provide family support:

Consider families holistically, ensuring they are aware of relevant support services available to them both internally and externally.

Practice education and quality:

Maintain awareness of current developments in childrens psychological therapies and their implications for practice.

Engage in learning about the wider care of life limited children and bereaved families, in order to contribute to the work of the Family Support Team.

Contribute to service evaluation or audit to ensure equity of service and maintain high quality service provision.

Contribute to the on-going development of the Family Support service provided by SSCH through the development of evidence-based practice and research where appropriate.

Hold responsibility for own caseload.

Ensure that you receive effective and timely supervision.

Ensure all documentation is maintained in accordance with SSCH policies, guidelines and standards.

Maintain professional membership and registration of the relevant professional body relating to your creative therapy practice.

Take responsibility for your own on-going education and professional development, to facilitate lifelong learning which complies with the professional educational requirements of your accreditation, and your identified personal objectives.

To support staff and volunteers

Be a source of knowledge and expertise for families and colleagues, assisting others in understanding childrens psychological needs.

Offer consultations to parents and schools requiring advice and support, and deliver education/training to those in education settings.

To supervise the work of the family support workers, encouraging reflective practice and skill/knowledge development where required.

To carry out any other duties that are deemed appropriate by your line manager and are within the scope and purpose of the role.

b) Other duties

The post holder must be able and willing to get to Christophers in Guildford or Shooting Star House in Hampton and work online.

The post holder will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service check

c) Mandatory Criteria

1. Other duties

The post holder will be working in a developing environment and they will therefore be expected to undertake other appropriate duties as required for the effective operation of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.

2. Professional Codes of Conduct

The post holder will be required to respect professional codes of conduct and practice relevant to their role, as appropriate

3. Health and Safety

Be responsible for health and safety in the area under their control and ensure that they are familiar with Shooting Star Childrens Hospices policy on health and safety at work.

4. Mandatory Training

The post holder will attend all mandatory training relevant to their role

5. Our values and behaviours

Shooting Star Childrens Hospices is a leading childrens hospice charity for babies, children and young people with life limiting conditions, and their families. We require that all of our staff share our common values and display behaviors that will enable us to achieve our goals.

Professionalism we will safeguard our families, each other and our organisation by working to ethical and professional standards at all times.

Respect We will treat each other with the utmost respect.

Integrity We will be open, honest and transparent in all that we do.

Diversity We will respect individuality and ensure inclusion and fairness to all.

Excellence We will strive for excellence in all that we do

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to risk-assess referrals and make primary assessments of children with life-limiting conditions and their family members.
• Flexibility in approach, tailoring the intervention to the needs of the child (both virtually and in-person).
• Understanding of the needs of families experiencing child bereavement, and the ability to advise families and professionals concerning appropriate support/communication for bereaved children of different ages and abilities.
• Understanding of the needs of families experiencing traumatic bereavement, and the ability to advise families and professionals concerning appropriate support.
• Ability to be responsive to urgent referrals, drawing on specialist knowledge to provide immediate psychoeducation, support or advice.
• Ability to identify where other psychological/psychosocial interventions may be required for a family and refer internally/externally as appropriate.
• Knowledge of relevant local and national services that support children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
• Awareness of relevant research concerning childrens psychological therapies and research concerning childrens palliative care, in order to ensure quality of care.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge and skill to work with issues of equality and diversity within client and organisational contexts.

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of two years post qualification experience as a Arts Therapist or Play Therapist.
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Post qualifying experience of working with children and or families in a health/social care/ education environment.
• Experience of working with children and young people, including those with disabilities.
• Experience of working with individuals facing or experiencing bereavement.
• Experience of working with children and young people who have experienced trauma.
• Experience of working with families from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience of delivering group therapy.
• Experience conducting primary assessments and the delivery and evaluation of therapy interventions.
• Ability to use digital validated assessment tools to assess needs and therapy outcomes.
• Experience of using client databases.
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary health team.
• Experience of working with other professionals.
• A strong, demonstratable psychotherapeutic underpinning of creative therapy practice.
• Intermediate IT skills using MS Word, Excel and Outlook.

Desirable

• Car owner/driver with full UK drivers licence, with appropriate personal and business use insurance.
• Ability to speak an additional language.
• Experience of working with children, young people and their families affected by life-limiting illness in a palliative care environment.
• Proven experience of collaborative work alongside another healthcare professional.
• Experience of conducting assessments/consultations on a virtual platform.
• Previous experience of teaching creative therapy techniques to family members and staff (where appropriate).
• Experience of conducting research.

Qualifications

Essential

• Creative Therapy qualification recognised by the Health Care and Professions Council or Play Therapist qualification.

General attributes

Essential

• Sense of fun, playfulness and creativity that engages children in exploring the arts.
• An ability to engage young people
• Empathetic and sensitive to others needs.
• Works well in a team and on own initiative.
• Able to build good relationships with others (including staff, volunteers, children and families known to SSCH.
• Organised, methodical and able to multi-task.
• Flexible and willing to undertake varied responsibilities as part of a team.
• A good health record.
• Evidence of non-discriminatory non-judgemental practice.
• Ability to recognise and manage ones own stress/wellbeing.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).