Youth Support Coordinator

The role will work closely with both YSC colleagues, other staff across designated hospitals and The Christie to provide co-ordinated support for young people whilst they are having treatment for cancer and up to 2 years after the completion of treatment.

To be successful in this role, you will be required to have a diploma or degree in a relevant qualification such as youth work, psychology, social sciences or play specialism and you will need to be able to demonstrate extensive experience of working with young people.

Working closely with the multi-disciplinary team, you will plan, develop and deliver programmes for young people which will meet their needs and help to support them. You will facilitate activities to bring young people together in the local community and across the North West and will provide 1:1 support for young people where needed.

An ability to work autonomously and be proactive is essential. Empathy, sensitivity and a sense of humour are also some of the key attributes you will bring to this role. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly to meet needs of the service. Some evening and weekend work will be involved and the post holder must be able to drive, have their own car (mileage is paid for travel due to work) and travel across the region on a regular basis.

Care and Support

Establish effective relationships with young people using age appropriate approaches and communication skills to identify individuals interests, strengths, areas of concern/need

Maintain a community-based programme for young people using various social models and motivational approaches that are appropriate to the young persons physical health and personal preferences

Use motivational techniques to engage with young people and act as an advocate on their behalf. Assist colleagues in effective communication with young people to achieve this aim

Work on a one-to-one basis with young people who are being treated in isolation or who do not wish to engage in group activities

Collaborate with colleagues to identify health and wellbeing issues for patients. Also signpost to age appropriate services, health promotion and awareness materials

The ability to visit young people and offer support at home or in their local hospital when necessary and appropriate

Work with the North West YSC team to develop and deliver an annual calendar of events for patients (to include a residential programme) and their families

Encourage activities to maintain and promote patients link with friends, family and home

Prepare patients for, and support patients through, invasive and non-evasive medical procedures, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery

Provide one-to-one support for young people having treatment; both in hospital and at home. Support may be provided by a number of medias; face to face, text, telephone, home visit (where necessary), zoom/MS Teams, website, emails, written information

To participate in the annual Teenage Cancer Trust residential programme

Working within the YSC service to maintain constant management of the TYA Facebook page and report any concerns to the line manager

Provide, where necessary and appropriate, support for family members (particularly siblings), partners and friends of young people.

Patient Involvement and advocacy

Assist in the running of the user/patient feedback activity to ensure young peoples ideas and thoughts are captured and acted upon where possible

Collaborate with colleagues to develop age-appropriate methods for gaining feedback from young people and supporting their input into developing services.

Education, Research and Audit

In line with Teenage Cancer Trust reporting requirements, keep records of activity completed on a monthly basis

Collate and provide information about the outreach YSC service that can be used in the annual YSC report to the charity and the Trust

Accurately and systematically record work undertaken with young people for Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) information

Undertake and record structured risk assessments for all organised activities on and off-site liaising with appropriate colleagues to manage risk

Ensure all necessary consents and medical information requirements are obtained for activities and maintain records safely

Plan for and utilise Teenage Cancer Trust and The Christie activity funds effectively to ensure maximum benefit from expenditure

Assist in the orientation of staff and students to the YSC and/or TYA team.

Meetings and networking

Attend psycho-social and clinical MDT meetings to contribute to coordinated assessment and support, report on work being undertaken with patients, raise any concerns and seek advice

Feedback to treating teams about young peoples social and emotional well-being

Develop strong and collaborative professional links with the hospital teams

Attend relevant meetings regarding The Christie service and Teenage Cancer Trust activity including Regional team meetings and YSC meetings

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

The TYA service is one of the largest Principle Treatment Centres in the UK, Come and join our dynamic, forward thinking, supportive team.

Qualifications

Experience

Skills

Knowledge

Values

Other