Sibling Worker

Acorns Children's Hospice Trust are now looking for a Sibling Worker to join our Family Services Team in our Black Country Hospice, Walsall. The Sibling Worker will work with siblings of children in our care to provide therapeutic-based support both before and after the death of their brother or sister. 

About the Role

Established in 1988, we are a registered charity, based in the West Midlands. We care for babies, children and young people up to 18 years and support their families. It is estimated that for every child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition, five family members will be directly impacted. Our aim at Acorns is to help families feel equipped to cope at every stage of their child’s life with dedicated teams offering psychological, emotional and practical support.

As a Sibling Worker, you will spend time with siblings to assess their needs and plan and review the support that they need. Siblings often have worries and concerns that they may not voice, so you will give them a safe space to discuss their feelings.   You’ll provide pre and post bereavement support individually or in groups, taking responsibility for coordinating and delivering groups, workshops and occasional residential weekends.

We have Sibling Workers in each of our three hospices, so you’ll work with each other to meet organizational objectives and to share best practice.  Our Sibling Workers also work with the volunteer service to identify and support the induction and training of volunteers.

The successful candidates will contribute to the development of sibling services, assisting in the delivery of a range of training programmes, participation in outreach work and contribution to service evaluation. You will provide a link between the community and Acorns, positively representing the sibling service to families and other professionals.

About You

You will be professionally qualified to degree level in a field such as Social Work, Community Nursing, Counselling or Play Therapy. You will have experience of direct work with children, managing a caseload, providing therapeutic based support and knowledge of family systems. 

You’ll need to be able to travel around the Acorns region independently and some evening and weekend work will be required to meet the needs of siblings.

What We Offer 

• £31,570 per annum, plus allowances
• 37.5 hours per week
• Based in our Walsall Hospice (WS5 4NL)
• Employee discounts from leading retailers
• Employee gym discount scheme
• Bike-to-Work scheme
• Generous contribution to group personal pension plan or continuation of current NHS pension scheme
• NHS pension scheme life assurance or Acorns group life assurance scheme

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and therefore any successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check for children and will be asked to provide two satisfactory references.

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting organisation we are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within the organisation. As an employee you will be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights and support all children to be Rights Holders.

If you have any questions, please contact us at recruitment@acorns.org.uk

Find out about our culture, career development, benefits and more here: Why Work for Acorns?