Job summary
We are recruiting for a Play Assistant who wishes to join #TeamIOWNHS. You should share our passion and drive to ensure that our patients receive quality and compassionate care and work with us to ensure the Trust continues its journey towards "great people, great place".
To deliver play and recreational activities that have been assessed as appropriate by the play specialist to meet the individual needs of children aged 0-17yrs.
To provide a safe environment and developmentally appropriate materials to reduce length of stay; time taken to undergo a procedure and improve compliance and risk of trauma for those children with on-going health needs.
PLEASE NOTE: This role is subject to job evaluation.
Main duties of the job
The Play assistant role is to provide support for children throughout the Trust whilst they are attending for appointments or inpatient stays. The play assistant will work with the play specialist to offer preparation, distraction, various activities and support for children as they undergo their treatment.
To work alongside the play specialist in the hospital providing play and distraction activities to children in a variety of settings within the hospital.
We are passionate about providing excellent CARE, which is why our values are Compassion, Accountable, Respect and Everyone counts. Our mission is to make sure that our community is at the heart of everything we do and that we hold our values across all our services.
We are committed to endorsing inclusion, diversity and multiculturalism throughout out services and as such, our procedures and policies ensure that applicants are always treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
About us
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust is the only integrated acute, community, mental health and ambulance health care provider in England. We serve a population of approximately 150,000 residents, making the services we offer variable and personalised with a flexible approach to our service users.
Working for our Trust brings a variety of benefits, including an onsite day nursery, cycle-to-work scheme, discounts at local businesses and gyms, and the opportunity to hire Trust's beach hut in Ryde. We offer many flexible working opportunities, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement for you and if it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
The Isle of Wight is a unique and stunning gem located off the South Coast of England, a short ferry journey from Portsmouth and Southampton, with journey times taking from as little as 10 minutes. London can be reached in 90 minutes by rail from Southampton or Portsmouth. The island offers an amazing coastline with beautiful countryside, year-round events, festivals and award-winning attractions.
Our 2020-2025 strategy sets out to ensure that we continue to be a provider of excellent and compassionate care. As part of this strategy, we are proactively taking steps to ensure that we recruit and retain the highest quality of talent to provide CARE and we would welcome applications from under-represented groups to ensure our Trust is an inclusive and diverse employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the 'Job Description and Main Responsibilities' section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.
PLEASE NOTE: This role is subject to job evaluation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the 'Job Description and Main Responsibilities' section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.
PLEASE NOTE: This role is subject to job evaluation.
Person Specification
Physical Skills
Essential
- Moderate physical activity is required for periods up to 30 minutes, several times on every shift.
- Combination of walking, sitting and standing whilst undertaking duties
- Approaching children at their level which may include on the floor
- Shift pattern
- Driving licence holder and car available for use for community visits.
Aptitudes
Essential
- Recent experience working directly with children and young people
- Experience of working as an effective team member
Desirable
- Experience working in a hospital setting
- Experience of working with parents and extended families
- Experience of working with children with special needs including those with challenging behaviours
Abilities
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of child development
- Ability to work with individuals or groups of children
- Good organisational skills
Desirable
- A full understanding of and ability to apply play preparation, distraction therapy and post procedural play skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ level 3 in Child care
- Previous experience working with children and young people
- Understanding of child development
Person Specification
Physical Skills
Essential
- Moderate physical activity is required for periods up to 30 minutes, several times on every shift.
- Combination of walking, sitting and standing whilst undertaking duties
- Approaching children at their level which may include on the floor
- Shift pattern
- Driving licence holder and car available for use for community visits.
Aptitudes
Essential
- Recent experience working directly with children and young people
- Experience of working as an effective team member
Desirable
- Experience working in a hospital setting
- Experience of working with parents and extended families
- Experience of working with children with special needs including those with challenging behaviours
Abilities
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of child development
- Ability to work with individuals or groups of children
- Good organisational skills
Desirable
- A full understanding of and ability to apply play preparation, distraction therapy and post procedural play skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ level 3 in Child care
- Previous experience working with children and young people
- Understanding of child development
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).
