Job summary
We have 2 part time posts (22.5 hours per week, 0.6 FTE) available across the Trust offering the opportunity to work in a variety of mental health inpatient services to increase and enhance the spiritual & pastoral care to service users, carers and staff within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team provides religious, spiritual and non-religious pastoral care to service users, carers and staff throughout Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
This innovative team is led by the Director of Social Inclusion and Participation with Co-ordinating Chaplains managing the provision with their service supported by Chaplains/Pastoral Support Workers and in some areas religious & non-religious Volunteers.
Shortlisting date is planned for 6th June 2023
Interview date is planned for 15th June 2023
Main duties of the job
The Trust has a wide range of mental health, older adult, learning disability, drugs & alcohol, physical health community services and secure forensic units across Merseyside. The postholders will be based at sites across the Trust including Winwick, Maghull & Southport. There will be a requirement to travel throughout the Trust footprint.
The post holder will have responsibility for providing pastoral and spiritual or religious care as required, and where appropriate offering, or referring service users to faith based ministry and worship or to appropriate non-religious care and support networks. The post holder will work in collaboration with other members of the team, mental health professionals, local faith representatives and professional visitors in order to provide or enable the provision of appropriate religious, spiritual & pastoral care to people of all faith and those of no religion or belief. They will be expected to support the team's work around quality and innovation.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applicants must be either:-
An established and active member of any recognised faith tradition They must be experienced in spiritual and pastoral care, of good standing in their tradition in accordance with the Practical Guide Endorsement of NHS Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious (Chaplaincy) Staff and Volunteers and formally accredited to lead worship within their tradition.
OR
An experienced Pastoral Support Worker accredited, or with the ability to be accredited, as a member in good standing by the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network in accordance with the Practical Guide Endorsement of NHS Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious (Chaplaincy) Staff and Volunteers with a cohesive naturalistic and non-religious system of values and beliefs that are serious, genuinely and sincerely held and worthy of respect in a democratic society.
Knowledge and awareness of professional boundaries is essential. Applicants will be flexible and imaginative innovators capable of implementing new ideas and practices for enhancing, spiritual, religious and non-religious care in mental health settings.
All candidates must have excellent communication skills both verbal and written and a good standard of IT capability. All candidates must be committed to working in a multi-faith and belief, ecumenical and inter-disciplinary context.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applicants must be either:-
An established and active member of any recognised faith tradition They must be experienced in spiritual and pastoral care, of good standing in their tradition in accordance with the Practical Guide Endorsement of NHS Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious (Chaplaincy) Staff and Volunteers and formally accredited to lead worship within their tradition.
OR
An experienced Pastoral Support Worker accredited, or with the ability to be accredited, as a member in good standing by the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network in accordance with the Practical Guide Endorsement of NHS Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious (Chaplaincy) Staff and Volunteers with a cohesive naturalistic and non-religious system of values and beliefs that are serious, genuinely and sincerely held and worthy of respect in a democratic society.
Knowledge and awareness of professional boundaries is essential. Applicants will be flexible and imaginative innovators capable of implementing new ideas and practices for enhancing, spiritual, religious and non-religious care in mental health settings.
All candidates must have excellent communication skills both verbal and written and a good standard of IT capability. All candidates must be committed to working in a multi-faith and belief, ecumenical and inter-disciplinary context.
Person Specification
Essential and Desireable
Essential
- Degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant area.
- Evidence of on-going professional development
- A person capable of being approved for ministry by a Recognised Faith Tradition e.g., for Christians a member church of Churches Together In Britain and Ireland OR a person capable of being accredited as a pastoral support worker through the Non-Religious Support Network. e of current issues relevant to mental health
- Demonstrable pastoral experience.
- Experience of working within a team
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
- Active member of their faith community, taking responsibility for their spiritual growth and renewal OR an active member of an organisation that has non-religious beliefs that are serious, genuinely and sincerely held and worthy of respect in a democratic society (eg Humanists UK).
- Excellent written & verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to understand boundaries surrounding professional roles
- Ability and willingness to work in an ecumenical and multi-faith team
- IT/Computer literate
Desirable
- IT/Computer literate
- Counselling Qualification
- Knowledge of recovery approaches within mental health.
- Knowledge of co-production principles.
- Knowledge of the dynamics of team working within a chaplaincy setting
- Demonstrable pastoral experience in a healthcare setting.
- Mental Health/Learning Disability/Addictions experience
- Experience of working within a therapeutic setting
- Experience of managing change
- Experience of multi-disciplinary working
Person Specification
Essential and Desireable
Essential
- Degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant area.
- Evidence of on-going professional development
- A person capable of being approved for ministry by a Recognised Faith Tradition e.g., for Christians a member church of Churches Together In Britain and Ireland OR a person capable of being accredited as a pastoral support worker through the Non-Religious Support Network. e of current issues relevant to mental health
- Demonstrable pastoral experience.
- Experience of working within a team
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
- Active member of their faith community, taking responsibility for their spiritual growth and renewal OR an active member of an organisation that has non-religious beliefs that are serious, genuinely and sincerely held and worthy of respect in a democratic society (eg Humanists UK).
- Excellent written & verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to understand boundaries surrounding professional roles
- Ability and willingness to work in an ecumenical and multi-faith team
- IT/Computer literate
Desirable
- IT/Computer literate
- Counselling Qualification
- Knowledge of recovery approaches within mental health.
- Knowledge of co-production principles.
- Knowledge of the dynamics of team working within a chaplaincy setting
- Demonstrable pastoral experience in a healthcare setting.
- Mental Health/Learning Disability/Addictions experience
- Experience of working within a therapeutic setting
- Experience of managing change
- Experience of multi-disciplinary working
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).
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
