Support Coordinator
Objective:
2wish exists to provide support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under.
Aims:
- Ensure every Emergency Department and Critical Care unit has a suitable bereavement suite
- Ensure that bereavement boxes are available at each of these hospitals
- Ensure that immediate bereavement support is available for all affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
- Provide a professional counselling service and complementary therapies for those affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
- Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden death of a child or young person
- Provide support and training to professionals from any sector who may be affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
- To advocate and campaign on behalf of suddenly bereaved families
2wish Cymru & 2wish:
2wish has been established since 2012 and has grown from strength to strength. During tis time, we have worked tirelessly to embed our service and ensure that the offer of support is made at the point of death. We offer an immediate, consistent, high-quality and compassionate service to all individuals affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under in Wales and the bordering counties in England, including; Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset, with the plan to continue to roll out support to the whole of England. We work in partnership with professionals who refer int the charity on behalf of families, so they don’t have to trawl through the internet for an organisation who may, or may not, be able to support. We provide immediate, and ongoing, support and are here for as long as our families need us.
Context of role:
2wish supports anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We are a largely self-funded charity providing support across Wales and more recently, in the bordering counties with England, providing immediate casework support, as well as ongoing aftercare services including counselling, alternative therapies, play therapy, support groups, support events and a respite cottage.
The post holder will support the smooth running of the support teams across Wales and the regions in England where our services are now being offered
Main duties:
Service:
- To support the smooth running of the support team through database entry, administrative tasks, data monitoring and event organisation
- To deliver training in healthcare settings, schools, and workplaces on the use of the bereavement boxes, referring into the charity and bereavement awareness
- To monitor the use of the memory boxes, keeping clear records of where, when, and how many are used
- To oversee the memory box volunteers and ensure that boxes are sent out according to the charity’s high standards and that stocks are maintained
- To work alongside the Volunteer Coordinator to nurture support volunteers and ensure they remain engaged with the charity
- To work with hospital trusts to establish and maintain the upkeep of suitable bereavement suites for bereaved individuals to use as required. To collaborate with our business partners and liaise with hospital facilities departments, overseeing the design and furnishing of bereavement rooms
- To work with hospital staff, GP’s, police officers, coroner offices, mental health teams and other healthcare professionals to raise awareness of and promote referrals into the charity
- To develop a newsletter to our professional partners keeping them updated on 2wish news and events
- To work alongside the marketing and communications team, providing input and content for all support team social media channels
- Maintain stock of 2wish literature
- Dealing with telephone calls for the support team including recording information for referrals and speaking to suddenly bereaved individuals
- To signpost and/or refer to other agencies as required that can provide support as needed
- To work with other support team staff to produce bi-monthly family newsletters for England and Wales
- To ensure that our Star Wall is kept up to date in a timely fashion
General:
- To be responsible for organising own work agenda, time management and administration
- To keep clear and up to date records on database of activities with families and any ensuing action
- To promote the on-going work and continued support that 2wish can offer
- To work as part of a team providing support to suddenly bereaved families
- To work alongside support team and maintain a seamless approach to service delivery
- To maintain a high degree of confidentiality in accordance with the charity’s policies
- To show respect and sensitivity for the cultural and religious beliefs of families
- To undertake learning opportunities and seek them out for the team
- To adhere to all company policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Confidentiality, Health and Safety and Lone Working; and to be proactive in implementing new safe working practices as appropriate
- To attend weekend and evening community events in support of the charity as necessary
- Participate as and when required in team meetings and one-to-one meetings, and undertake, as appropriate, courses/training/other developmental activities, which is relevant to the role
- To contribute to the evaluation and monitoring processes to ensure effectiveness of services and activities provided
- Contribute on the social media platforms maintained by 2wish It is the nature of the work that tasks and responsibilities are in many circumstances unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work in a flexible way and tasks, which are not specifically covered in their job description may have to be undertaken.
This role is subject to a DBS check.
Hours: Normal office hours are 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, although alternative hours may be worked with line manager agreement. Work outside office hours may sometimes be necessary and will be compensated for by time off in lieu.
Annual Leave: 28 days plus bank holidays. Annual leave steadily increases after five years of service. Annual leave and statutory holidays are calculated on a pro rata basis where applicable.
Pension: 2wish operate a contributory pension scheme. 2wish will auto-enrol you into the scheme in accordance with it’s auto-enrolment obligations. Full details of the scheme will be provided to you once you are enrolled, including the minimum level of contributions that you will be required to make during your membership (current contributions – employer 3% and employee 5%).
Mileage: A fixed rate allowance is payable for agreed mileage in accordance with our expense policy, undertaken on 2wish business in a private vehicle, over and above your usual journey to your workplace/s.
Additional benefits for our employees:
- An ‘Employee Assistance Programme,’ including wellbeing support
- Free parking on 2wish premises
- Free branded 2wish clothing
- An extra annual leave day on your birthday
- Incremental increase in holiday entitlement based on length of service
- Paid sick leave
- Discounts for personal purchases on 2wish Merchandise
- Discounted tickets to UK 2wish events for staff and family
- Reimbursement of work expenses
- Extra holiday entitlement when taking part in 2wish overseas events
- Tools/equipment required for the performance of duties
- Bright Exchange employee discounts
- Auto-enrolment into company contributory pension scheme after 3 months service
2wish provides immediate and ongoing support to families, individuals and professionals throughout Wales that have been affected by the sudden and traumatic death of a child or young adult aged 25 and under.
2wish was established in 2012 following the sudden death of Chief Executive Rhian Mannings’ one year old son, George. With little to no support available and unable to cope with the loss, Rhian’s husband Paul tragically took his own life just 5 days later.