Chaplain/Spiritual Care Practitioner
Job Description
Job summary
Join our new, committed and welcoming team delivering high-quality, compassionate and professional Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care.
You will support patients, carers, staff and volunteers in their spiritual lives in the broadest sense. The focus is on understanding what matters most to people, especially when facing a life-altering illness, dying or death. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering holistic care.
We have different part time positions available at each of our sites (Coventry, Warwick or Rugby) and we can offer some flexibility to suit your needs. The minimum will be two days per week, during Monday-Friday office hours, with occasional participation in our out of hours rota (this may change as our Spiritual Care Service develops and grows).
Main duties of the job
As a Chaplain/Spiritual Care Practitioner, a typical day might include:
- Supporting patients and families with loss, anticipatory grief, existential concerns and bereavement
- Offering insight and support to colleagues
- Offering, facilitating or partnering in the delivery of spiritual care rites, rituals and practices
- Enabling the marking of appropriate key feasts, festivals and celebrations
About us
At The Myton Hospices, we provide specialist care and support for people with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones, from the point of diagnosis to end of life. We are a much-loved and well supported charity, at the heart of our community. We have three hospices, a range of community services, and 25 charity shops in Coventry and Warwickshire.
We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage everyone to bring their true selves to work. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Myton, we encourage you to share this with us.
We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minorities, who are currently under-represented in our hospices. We also believe our interview process should be inclusive and transparent. If there is anything missing, or a way we can improve, please do let us know.
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care (SPaRC)
1. Facilitate and deliver high quality spiritual support for people using the services of The Myton Hospices, as they come to terms with living with their own particular situations, supporting them as they find their sense of meaning and purpose. This will include inpatient and outpatient services.
2. Undertake holistic person-centred assessment of individual pastoral and spiritual needs and support the exploration of issues of spirituality where required.
3. Recognise diversity and promote inclusivity and equity across services for people of all religions and those with no specific religious beliefs.
4. Operate under both policy and initiative regarding spiritual needs in crisis situations and assess individual needs, referring on to appropriate person / service or faith group as necessary.
5. When required, facilitate or if appropriate conduct services within The Myton Hospices.
6. Facilitate the delivery of services, prayers or rituals consistent with the faith or belief of the individual patient or family member.
7. Participate in multidisciplinary meetings and contribute to discussions to ensure the individual pastoral, religious and spiritual needs of patients and families are identified and addressed as part of holistic care planning.
8. Keep clear and accurate patient records in accordance with The Myton Hospices clinical record-keeping guidance.
9. Work with the multidisciplinary team in the provision of bereavement care, including offering advice and information to families about funerals / memorial services and other related issues and, if appropriately trained and qualified, to officiate funerals.
10. When appropriate to work alongside Fundraising and Marketing to support memorial and remembrance services.
11. Support the provision of spiritual care out of hours when required.
12. On occasion to represent Spiritual Care Service at relevant functions and events across the locality.
13. Keep up to date with national, regional and local developments in palliative and end of life care guidance and provision.
14. Work closely with the Spiritual Care Service Lead and other members of the Spiritual Care Team, including volunteers, to ensure a safe, holistic and professional service is delivered.
15. Undertake regular clinical or pastoral supervision by an appropriately trained person outside of the organisation.
16. Maintain healthy connections to own spirituality in a way that is life-giving and job-sustaining (the detail of which would be worked out with the Spiritual Care Service Lead).
Community/Wellbeing/Hub position only:
1. Foster links with local organisations and community groups to promote the services of Myton Hospices and to ensure the best care for patients and families.
2. Partner with the local Compassionate Communities movement to implement initiatives, increase awareness, and offer training relevant to spiritual care services across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Staff and Volunteer Support
1. Participate and if appropriate deliver reflective practice work with staff and volunteer teams.
2. Assess and respond to volunteers and staffs spiritual needs(individual/collective).
3. Be actively aware of issues, changes and conditions which affect staff and volunteer wellbeing.
4. Collaborate with other relevant departments in promoting staff and volunteer wellbeing.
5. Contribute to the development and delivery of spiritual care awareness and bereavement training for staff and volunteers.
Partnership Working
1. Work collaboratively with faith leaders in the community for the benefit of patients, families and carers using the services of The Myton Hospices.
2. Work with a range of community faith and belief leaders to organise necessary rites and sacraments as requested by individual patients and their families.
3. Collaborate with colleagues in the local NHS Trusts to enable the delivery of spiritual services to patients and their families as they transition from acute care into Hospice care.
4. Help to deliver training and support to others in their provision of pastoral and spiritual care, including participation in internal and external training programmes.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level with demonstrable learning in a relevant field such as theology, pastoral care, psychology, counselling, religious studies.
- Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain/spiritual care practitioner by a recognised/established sponsoring faith community or belief group
- Evidence of annual continued professional development relevant to
- healthcare chaplaincy (in line with UK Board of Healthcare Chaplains
- standards)
Desirable
- Postgraduate qualification in pastoral care and/or chaplaincy or another
- equivalent field such as counselling, psychotherapy or theology
- Registration with the UKBHC or working toward registration
- Membership of one of the other approved healthcare chaplaincy bodies
- Training in advanced communication and listening skills and/or supervision skills
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience of working in pastoral settings 1:1 and in groups
- Experience of working with bereaved people
- Experience of working with vulnerable people including mental and/or physical health issues
Desirable
- Experience in palliative and hospice care
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting
Skills and Attributes
Essential
- Desire to work in a hospice/palliative care setting and energy for delivering high quality spiritual care for all
- Open approach to spirituality which is deeply rooted yet open to all faiths
- and traditions
- Emotionally mature and self-aware with a desire to learn and grow in a new team and to work with people different from themselves
- A Reflective Practitioner who is able to consider their own practice in the
- company of others and together to grow and refine chaplaincy
- Sensitive pastoral approach with excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Confident working with death and dying with appropriate cultural and
- religious literacy around these
- Ability to relate to people of all faiths and backgrounds (including those
- who do not identify with a belief system) without the need to proselytise or persuade
- Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and ...
