Specialist Caseworker - Emergency Department

Whittington Hospital Emergency Department, London

Ref ESW-231

Are you a proactive, empathetic and flexible individual with a proven record of providing support, advice and advocacy, and communicating effectively the needs of clients to other professionals?  Do you have strong experience of assessing the needs of vulnerable children and young people who are at risk of significant harm?

If so, St Giles Trust is looking for a Specialist Caseworker to be embedded with the Emergency Department of Whittington Hospital, where you will provide support for those young people admitted to emergency departments right through to their discharge back into the community.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

As our specialist worker you will provide peer supervisory support to the team within the wider hospital based services, which includes deputising for the Senior Caseworker, and supporting the Data Coordinator and Senior Caseworker with the collation of information and data for project monitoring purposes. We will also count on you to develop and maintain strong relationships with clinicians and hospital staff, while also identifying onward referral pathways with other services in the hospital such as CAMHS, IDVA, COMPASS and other statutory and voluntary sectors in the community.

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will also help to identify and assess young victims of violence and to provide support, advice and advocacy for both them and their families as they plan to be discharged from hospital back into the community. You will produce support and risk management plans based on your assessments and deliver a holistic support service that includes practical help such as social and housing support, accompanying to appointments, ETE options, benefits work, appearing in court, DIY work and cleaning.

What we are looking for

• Personal experience of the criminal justice system, lived experience of the issues facing this client group and/or experience of working with ‘high risk’, vulnerable children, young people and/or families
• Experience in working as part of a multi-agency team, working together to achieve positive outcomes for young people and establishing links to further the aims of a project
• Experience of using support plans to enable people to successfully access support services
• Substantial experience of engaging successfully with ‘challenging’ young people
• Proven experience of working in a high intensity environment
•  A working knowledge of relevant services for young people and their families in the service provision area
• First-class interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, both verbal and written.

Successful candidates must undergo an Enhanced DBS check, on the basis that the post involves contact with vulnerable participants and colleagues.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

As an equity and inclusive employer, we welcome all applications, but we would particularly welcome applications from Global Majority People (Black, Asian, Brown, Dual Heritage), those living with a disability, those from Neuro Diverse group, or have another protected characteristic. We value the positive impact and diversity that your lived experience can bring to our organisation.

To apply please visit our website.

Closing date: 28th Nov 2023. 11:00pm     Interviews: 6th Dec 2023