Job summary
Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate at The Havens
Full-time post 37.5 hours - funded until March 2025
This is role is part of a commissioned project across South West London that launched in April 2023, which aims to increase the number of disclosures children and young people are making and ensuring they have access to the therapeutic and criminal justice support they need. The project will also work to ensure that professionals in the boroughs feel appropriately skilled to meet disclosures of sexual violence and abuse with belief, empathy, and a confident knowledge of next steps.
Main duties of the job
The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will work directly with the survivor, safe parents and carers and their support networks, as part of The Havens' multidisciplinary team to ensure that the survivor's needs are properly understood and met. The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will provide appropriate onward referrals and safeguarding input, drawing on a trauma-informed anti-oppressive approach. The post holder will have experience of working with survivors who experience multiple disadvantages, learning disability and autism, and understand the criminal justice process. The Child and Young Person's Wellbeing Advocate will undertake effective partnership working with criminal justice, heath, social work, and other professionals. The post holder will work in a client-led and therapeutic way to ensure the child or young person's voice is properly heard and guides the adults around them.
You will work in a hybrid way, in schools and other community settings, as well as from home, the office and at Havens sites. This is an outreach role so requires frequent travel across South-West London.
About us
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and around 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King's College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in Bromley.
King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
The trust-wide strategy Strong Roots, Global Reachis our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we can take Team King's to another level.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Havens are Londons Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) based in Camberwell, Paddington / Ladbroke Grove and Whitechapel. They are jointly commissioned by the London Mayors Office for Policing & Crime (MOPAC London) and the National Health Service England (NHS England)
The Havens are a 24/7 service providing care to people disclosing rape or sexual assault. This care may include forensic medical examination, acute / follow-up medical care and support through counselling, psychology, and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors.
Please see attached detailed job description and person specification when applying for this role, paying attention to the person specification
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Havens are Londons Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) based in Camberwell, Paddington / Ladbroke Grove and Whitechapel. They are jointly commissioned by the London Mayors Office for Policing & Crime (MOPAC London) and the National Health Service England (NHS England)
The Havens are a 24/7 service providing care to people disclosing rape or sexual assault. This care may include forensic medical examination, acute / follow-up medical care and support through counselling, psychology, and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors.
Please see attached detailed job description and person specification when applying for this role, paying attention to the person specification
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Additional training in child or adolescent mental health / therapeutic work with young people
- Additional training in child protection and safeguarding practices
- Holding qualifications in counselling, psychotherapy, youth work, or social work
Desirable
- Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) qualification and/or counselling/psychotherapy qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience
- Membership of a professional body
- Additional training in the field of sexual violence and trauma
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with child and adolescent survivors of sexual violence
- Experience in providing trauma-informed psychological support to clients with complex and multiple needs
- Knowledge and experience of safeguarding children and young people, including current legislation. This includes being able to identify vulnerabilities and risk factors and escalate to relevant external agencies
- Experience in conducting risk and needs assessments, care planning, case management and co-ordination
- Experience of working with a multidisciplinary team within a complex environment
- Experience of interagency working
- Knowledge of confidentiality and information sharing protocols.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the criminal justice system
- Relevant experience of working with young people in a healthcare, social work, or counselling setting
- Ability to provide an additional area of speciality knowledge relevant to the role
- Experience of working in an NHS service
- Knowledge of sexual health
- Knowledge/sensitivity to the influence of culture and belief systems on sexual health values
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Excellent written & oral communication skills
- Ability to make decisions under pressure
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Excellent IT literacy including knowledge of/ability to learn new platforms and applications that facilitate remote working
- Time management skills
- Ability to reflect on one's own practice
Desirable
- Ability to resolve conflict
- Ability to plan, deliver & evaluate educational programmes for internal/external stakeholders, e.g., schools, organisations
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Additional training in child or adolescent mental health / therapeutic work with young people
- Additional training in child protection and safeguarding practices
- Holding qualifications in counselling, psychotherapy, youth work, or social work
Desirable
- Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) qualification and/or counselling/psychotherapy qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience
- Membership of a professional body
- Additional training in the field of sexual violence and trauma
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with child and adolescent survivors of sexual violence
- Experience in providing trauma-informed psychological support to clients with complex and multiple needs
- Knowledge and experience of safeguarding children and young people, including current legislation. This includes being able to identify vulnerabilities and risk factors and escalate to relevant external agencies
- Experience in conducting risk and needs assessments, care planning, case management and co-ordination
- Experience of working with a multidisciplinary team within a complex environment
- Experience of interagency working
- Knowledge of confidentiality and information sharing protocols.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the criminal justice system
- Relevant experience of working with young people in a healthcare, social work, or counselling setting
- Ability to provide an additional area of speciality knowledge relevant to the role
- Experience of working in an NHS service
- Knowledge of sexual health
- Knowledge/sensitivity to the influence of culture and belief systems on sexual health values
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Excellent written & oral communication skills
- Ability to make decisions under pressure
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Excellent IT literacy including knowledge of/ability to learn new platforms and applications that facilitate remote working
- Time management skills
- Ability to reflect on one's own practice
Desirable
- Ability to resolve conflict
- Ability to plan, deliver & evaluate educational programmes for internal/external stakeholders, e.g., schools, organisations
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
