Palliative Care Social Worker (Maternity cover/12 months) - 30hrs p/w

Posting date:	07 October 2025
Salary:	£37,898.00 to £45,637.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£37898.00 - £45637.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	25 October 2025
Location:	Gwent, NP23 8XF
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	E0017-07102025

Summary

JOB PURPOSE You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing psychosocial support to Hospice patients, families and carers and bereaved relatives. To deliver interventions where high-level assessment, problem solving and decision-making skills will be required. You will engage with colleagues, patients, patients families and carers, volunteers, supporters and visitors. ROLE OF DEPARTMENT The aim of the Family Support Service is to provide high quality support for people and their families who are experiencing challenging life circumstances related to a palliative diagnosis. This work aims to encourage advance care planning, enabling patients to remain in their identified preferred place of care, whilst avoiding unnecessary admission to hospital. The Family Support Service is also responsible for the bereavement support provided to those bereaved whilst receiving Hospice support. The service provides high quality, comprehensive education, for health and social care professionals and patients/carers, facilitating an improved understanding of palliative care/ carer support need/bereavement needs, the value of early implementation of a palliative care approach and recognition of the importance of advance care planning Contribute to the campaign to raise public awareness relating to death and dying, supporting families to have difficult and sensitive discussions and address the issue of advanced care planning. Support and facilitate choice and the fulfilment of the wishes of people with a palliative diagnosis. SCOPE AND RANGE Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing a specialist palliative care social work service to Hospice patients, their families and carers. Support Hospice patients, families and carers with the practical and emotional implications of facing a life-limiting illness. Support any children or young people within the family with the emotional implications of a loved ones diagnosis and subsequent death. Support Hospice patients, families and carers in making decisions about their future needs as they adjust to a new and changing situation and offer appropriate interventions. This includes work with Hospice patients, families and carers coming to terms with the illness and possible death of someone close. To work in collaboration to deliver sustained improvements in performance, quality and consistency of practice across the team. Thereby achieving the best outcomes possible. To develop innovative ways of working to ensure positive outcomes for those receiving the service To represent and promote the service in relevant multi agency meetings; To ensure effective partnership working and engagement to achieve and deliver these objectives To engage in the strategic development of the Team and Service MAIN TASKS, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES DIRECT WORK Assess the needs of the bereaved, and provide bereavement support to individuals, families, children/young people and groups as appropriate. Complete a holistic assessment of need, and formulate a plan to address those needs, in collaboration with Hospice patients, families, carers, and other service providers. To formulate, design and deliver expert evidence-based interventions To build a professional relationship with service users and their families and to use that relationship to safeguard and promote positive outcomes To communicate effectively with service users and their families, ensuring that their views and wishes are heard and recorded accurately, and plans reflects their views To establish rapport and build a respectful, honest and trusted relationship with service users and their families, in order to identify and reduce risk in line with safeguarding procedures To understand and respect the rights of service users To support the completion of good quality assessments and the analysis of risk through the use of best practice guidance Facilitation of group work relevant to the service provision and identified need. Maintain accurate and appropriate records, including the computerised database, and provide reports and statistics as required. LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY Act as a champion of best practice by playing a leadership role in social work practice within the organisation. To provide professional supervision and appraisal to members of the team to achieve service aims and objectives. To support team members in meeting continuous professional development and improvement requirements in line with Social Care Wales registration. Act as a guardian of professional codes of practice within the organisation. To support and implement changes in methods and approaches to work as may be required. PRACTICE, EDUCATION & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with legislation, research findings and practice knowledge, including attendance at appropriate training; Contribute to training and practice development Contribute to qualifying and post qualifying social work education curricula development and in the promotion of the Social Work Career Pathway Provide training within the team and clinical services Acting as a Practice Teacher/Assessor, PQ Award Mentor or other formal role to support the provision of learning opportunities To comply with Gwent Safeguarding Boards Safeguarding procedures and practice To ensure the maintenance of such records and management information systems as appropriate Facilitate training and education to wider stakeholders, in line with funding acquired within the service Evaluate the effectiveness of social work practice, and participate in multi-disciplinary audit. Critically evaluate research and assist in the implementation of evidence-based best practice in all aspects of patient care. Promote a learning environment which actively facilitates learning and structured personal development for health and social care professionals. Have a commitment to lifelong learning and continue to undertake own professional development in accordance with codes of practice of relevant professional bodies, Social Care Wales and the Social Services and Wellbeing act. Participate in/contribute to relevant research projects. EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY Post holder will be provided with a mobile telephone, laptop, and guardian 24 device for lone working. SYSTEMS The post holder will be responsible for working within the policies and procedures of the organisation and will be responsible for updating policies relevant to the service area. The employee handbook will be provided which will outline all relevant policies and processes. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS High-level assessment, problem solving and decision-making skills will be required. Decision making undertaken with a person centred and evidence based approach utilising robust outcome measures. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB Physical Effort Time spent at desk, attending meetings, training and supervision. This will be shared with time spent visiting and undertaking assessments within the community in individuals homes. There is a requirement that the post holder will drive. Mental Effort Be expected to deal with frequent interruptions due to the unpredictability of the work and service user group. Be required to exert prolonged periods of concentration during assessments, report writing and documentation. Problem solving for service users, their family members and carers who have complex needs. Emotional Effort Frequently work with service users and their carers who sometimes exhibit challenging and emotional behaviours and will potentially be exposed to distressing and emotional circumstances. To support Hospice patients, families and carers in making decisions about their future needs as they adjust to a new and changing situation, and offer appropriate interventions. This includes work with Hospice patients, families and carers coming to terms with the illness and possible death of someone close. MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB Working within the charity sector having to liaise with statutory services to actuate change; Working within a palliative and end of life care environment where death and dying is a Regular feature of the role. Working within a fast paced and ever changing clinical environment. Managing safeguarding concerns.