Job summary

Pastoral and Spiritual Care Practitioner (Mental Health)

Part-time, 15 hours a week

We seek a highly driven and imaginative individual to join the Trust's pastoral care team, to provide excellent and efficacious spiritual, pastoral, and cultural care to meet the spiritual and religious needs of people who use our service, their families, and staff.

The Department of Pastoral and Spiritual Care of Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for the spiritual, pastoral, and religious care of people who use our service, carers, and staff. We provide specialist knowledge and expertise in spiritual beliefs, experiences, and practices.

This job is a fantastic opportunity for you to join the Department of Pastoral and Spiritual Care.

Main duties of the job

The position holder will ensure a safe, supportive, and easily accessible environment for people with various pastoral and spiritual needs.

The post holder will work independently alongside other spiritual and pastoral practitioners to serve those who use our services.

The post holder's responsibilities include providing pastoral care to hospital wards and community mental health teams

The post holder will respond to urgent and routine referrals within the Trust's coverage area.

As a team member, you will oversee the spiritual, pastoral, and religious needs of our service users, carers, and Trust staff in a multidisciplinary healthcare context.

About us

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.

We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.

Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.

Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.

For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

The candidate will be required to:

Embody the visions and values of Surrey & Borders Partnership Foundation NHS Trust and contribute to the effective working of the pastoral and spiritual care team.

Adhere to SABP policies and procedures related to people using our services and contribute to the effective working of the Trust

Utilise a range of specialist skills appropriate to the needs of individual patients and the clinical setting in which they are required to be seen and work autonomously.

Be prepared to work as a member of the Multidisciplinary team in assessing and planning care and responding to the spiritual needs of people who use our services

Provide and contribute to the professional development of Pastoral and Spiritual Care.

Act to respect the customs, individuality, values, sexuality and spiritual beliefs, and actively support the individual to fulfil these.

Adhere to professional confidentiality standards.

Provide staff support

Take a positive role in team supervision.

Provide people with safe emotional support and stability to enable engagement while maintaining professional boundaries.

Create, develop, and maintain professional, supportive relationships with all staff members, with other professionals and agencies to enhance recovery.

Provide education and training.

Develop personally and professionally

Apply effective communication and working relationships

Perform responsibilities as directed by the Head of Pastoral and Spiritual Care.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Contribute to the effective working of the department.

Maintain good communication and collaboration with all pastoral and spiritual care team members and follow established procedures and policies. Develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based programmes of care; set standards of pastoral care and liaise with other agencies, particularly to people's spiritual needs. Contribute to caseload planning within the pastoral and spiritual care team. Contribute to operating a duty rota effectively, responding to urgent spiritual needs in crises, and participating in a Major Incident when called upon. To be involved in recruiting and training volunteers and lead particular projects and working groups as requested by the Head of Pastoral and Spiritual Care. Use specialised knowledge, experience and skills in direct clinical work and act as a resource for the ward teams for spiritual and cultural awareness, encouraging service user participation at all times.

Contribute to the professional development of the department:

The post holder will have to understand a spiritual care theory and practice. Participate in the reflective practice processes of the department, undertaking literature searches and critical reviews of research relevant to pastoral and spiritual care. When required, contribute to audits, service reviews, research projects and conferences

Provide pastoral and spiritual care:

Participate in the Spiritual Needs Assessment of individuals with mental health problems or vulnerabilities, develop spiritual care plans, and keep written and electronic records. Evaluate referrals and determine a timely response that provides spiritual and pastoral care sensitive to those who use our service, their carers, staff, and students. Maintain effective and consistent links with and work collaboratively alongside other professionals.

Facilitate religious care:

Facilitate religious services, spiritual and prayer groups, or prayers appropriate to our hospitals and units. Make referrals to the relevant faith communities at the consent and request of the person using our service where the post holder or a pastoral care team member cannot undertake the religious requests. Make effective connections with parish priests, ministers of religion, religious leaders, and faith and non-belief organisations in the community. Assist the ward teams in preparing links to the faith community for the person on discharge.

Provide staff support:

Respond to staff spiritual needs, individual or collective, as desired, and can be arranged through an informal/impromptu chat at the workplace or through a self-referral appointment. When asked, provide confidential assistance to employees going through complicated processes. In addition, in partnership with the Spirituality and Faith Staff network, to lend a listening ear. Also, collaborate with other relevant departments to promote employee well-being.

Providing training and education:

You will contribute to and teach on the department's training and education programmes for staff and community faith leaders. You will also plan and initiate the delivery of other learning opportunities and supervise volunteers and pastoral care students as agreed with the Head of Pastoral and Spiritual Care

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience working in Mental health.
• Experience working with different cultures/faith traditions.
• Experience in building pastorally supportive relationships.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• UK driving license and access to a car for work purposes.

Desirable

• Experience in working on projects with targeted outcomes, deadlines, and reporting processes

Qualifications

Essential

• First-degree or equivalent professional qualifications.
• Applicants must be in good standing with their relevant faith or belief community.
• Be registered or eligible to hold the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) registration.
• Must show proof of suitable pastoral and spiritual training.

Desirable

• Possess a recognised qualification in counselling or psychotherapy or have completed specific training courses in relevant practice areas.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C9325-23-0086