Job summary
Are you looking for a new and exciting challenge, are you highly motivated and innovative with excellent communication skills and a calm approach ?
An exciting opportunity has come up for a confident, enthusiastic and caring mental health support worker to join our friendly and dedicated team on Hedgehog our Children's Ward.
If you have the ability to interact well with children and young people, are passionate and willing to listen to what they have to say and are interested in learning and applying new skills then we would love to hear from you.
There are financially supported opportunities for you to develop your knowledge and skills including training on supporting Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Youth work with apprenticeships including a pathway into paediatric nursing registration.
Main duties of the job
This is an essential role within the team and you will have a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children, young people and their parents. You will support recovery and provide care to children and young people who are in a mental health or behavioural related crisis on the children's ward- ensuring the care experienced is positive and that the child/ young person's safety is maintained.
Having the right values and attitude to working in a busy and often challenging environment are essential. You will be supported by experienced and knowledgeable staff on the unit, including our Mental Health Liaison Nurses .
You will also pro-actively support the Registered Nurses to provide high quality, holistic, child centred care within the multi-disciplinary team. This will include giving clinical and personal care to other patients on the unit as required and helping the ward staff to maintain a suitable environment to provide the highest standard of care possible.
Although experience of working with healthcare, specifically mental health or learning disabilities is desirable - we would welcome individuals who have experience working with children and young people but do not have this experience on a band 2 to 3 apprenticeship pathway.
About us
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?
We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
o At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).o Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefitso Blue Light card eligibilityo And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Job description
Job responsibilities
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Following your corporate induction you will be expected to attend the Trusts Clinical Induction Programme for Healthcare Support Workers (which starts on the first day of employment). The programme is full-time (please contact the CSW Induction Programme Lead if you have any issues: rallen@nhs.net), lasts for two weeks and will involve travelling to both Trust sites. The programme includes two supernumerary shifts in the clinical area (an early and a late shift), all of the other days are classroom-based and run from 9am to 5pm
Job description
Job responsibilities
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Following your corporate induction you will be expected to attend the Trusts Clinical Induction Programme for Healthcare Support Workers (which starts on the first day of employment). The programme is full-time (please contact the CSW Induction Programme Lead if you have any issues: rallen@nhs.net), lasts for two weeks and will involve travelling to both Trust sites. The programme includes two supernumerary shifts in the clinical area (an early and a late shift), all of the other days are classroom-based and run from 9am to 5pm
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ/Diploma level 3 in Healthcare (or equivalent experience ) or successful completion of a level 3 Healthcare Support Worker or Youth worker apprenticeship.
- Functional skills English and maths level 2 or GCSE English and maths grades A*/9 - C/4.
- Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement
Desirable
- National youth agency accredited youth work qualification
- Diploma in child and adolescent mental health practice or equivalent experience
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of working with children and young people in varied contexts
- Awareness and understanding of mental health and emotional problems including self-harm, suicide and eating disorders
- Experience as a Healthcare Support Worker / Youth worker
Desirable
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Previous experience of working with children and young people with Mental Illness/ neurodiversity
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate with children and young people and families around sensitive issues
- Well-developed organisational skills
- Skills in supporting young people and families with emotional and behavioural issues
- Excellent interpersonal & communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure with a positive 'can do' attitude
Desirable
- Skills in engaging children and young people in recover focused, resilience building exercises
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ/Diploma level 3 in Healthcare (or equivalent experience ) or successful completion of a level 3 Healthcare Support Worker or Youth worker apprenticeship.
- Functional skills English and maths level 2 or GCSE English and maths grades A*/9 - C/4.
- Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement
Desirable
- National youth agency accredited youth work qualification
- Diploma in child and adolescent mental health practice or equivalent experience
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of working with children and young people in varied contexts
- Awareness and understanding of mental health and emotional problems including self-harm, suicide and eating disorders
- Experience as a Healthcare Support Worker / Youth worker
Desirable
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Previous experience of working with children and young people with Mental Illness/ neurodiversity
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate with children and young people and families around sensitive issues
- Well-developed organisational skills
- Skills in supporting young people and families with emotional and behavioural issues
- Excellent interpersonal & communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure with a positive 'can do' attitude
Desirable
- Skills in engaging children and young people in recover focused, resilience building exercises
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).
