THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS
The Joshua Tree Hwb, Conwy Road, Mochdre, Bae Colwyn, LL28 5HE OR The Joshua Tree Support Centre, Dalefords Lane, Sandiway. CW8 2GW
Part-time
FAMILY SUPPORT Role Title – Family Support Volunteer VOLUNTEER Location – The Joshua Tree Hwb, Conwy Road, Mochdre, Bae Colwyn, LL28 5HE OR The Joshua Tree Support Centre, Dalefords Lane, Sandiway. CW8 2GW (Joshua Tree is based in two locations, Mochdre (North Wales) & Sandiway (Cheshire). Reporting to – Family Support Aim – To help our Family Support team with the setup of our events including Saturday sessions and Family Support Groups. To be on hand at these events whether being at the front of the Centre welcoming our families, at one of our craft tables with the children or helping in our wonderful spacious kitchen making refreshments. Why do we need volunteers? At The Joshua Tree we believe that volunteers play a significant and vital role in our charity. We want all our volunteers to feel valued, celebrated, and respected as we honestly believe that without the incredible people that volunteer at The Joshua Tree, we simply could not do what we do. Our volunteers are at the very heart of our charity and play an integral part here at The Joshua Tree. What is an Event Support Volunteer? Event Support volunteers help to deliver a variety of different events at The Joshua Tree, from planning and promoting the event to helping set up and running activities during the event. We are dedicated to offering a fun and engaging event that is memorable for participants, whilst also showcasing The Joshua Tree and its groundbreaking work. Opportunities to support the Family Support Team • Get Creative - To help set up events alongside our Family Support team and prepare the Centre to welcome our families. Our craft tables are always such a huge hit with the children and so volunteers can be on hand to help with all the paints, crayons, and gallons of glitter. • Get stuck in – Assist with all aspects of the sessions, from setting up craft tables, to getting the heart space prepared, to filling the kettle ready to help make lots of teas and coffees. • Be the host with the most - To welcome our families into the Centre and make them feel at ease straight away. If it is their first time, being able to make introductions and directing them to where they can sit down or make a cup of tea will go a long way in making them feel at home. We need regular, smiley, and positive volunteers for our family events so that our families feel at home when they are with us. • Be our voice - To feel confident when talking about The Joshua Tree and our work • All hands-on deck – the event, as well as to • Supervise children – groups, levels, and the child's imagination to help tidy up afterwards and not take advantage of our wonderful volunteers. To assist with set up and support during stay behind and help tidy up afterwards. Confidence working with different age abilities. A perfect balance of allowing take over... but the ability to ensure they • Most importantly - To understand The Joshua Tree values and implement these into everything that you do. Personal Qualities • Confidence to interact with families and staff. • Excellent communication skills and a clear and polite manner. • A willingness to get involved with the whole aspects of family support events including the planning, set up and delivery. • Reliable and honest. • To keep our beneficiaries the focus of all that you do. What are the benefits for me? Volunteering is such a fulfilling role where you are given the opportunity to be part of something truly remarkable, as well as gain confidence and learn new skills. At The Joshua Tree we very much value our volunteers and where possible, we try to allocate roles that we believe will really help the individual to grow and excel. Volunteering can not only boost your CV, but also make such a difference to the children and families that we support every day. Most importantly, we want our volunteers to feel valued and respected, as well as to have fun and celebrate The Joshua Tree’s ongoing successes. Will I need my own transport? For this role, access to your own car is essential. What are the contact details for the person I will be reporting to? Your Volunteer Lead is Katie Harrison. Katie can be contacted at katieharrison@thejoshuatree.org.uk or alternatively call 01606 331858.
THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS
23,962 per year
The Joshua Tree Support Centre, Sandiway
Part-time
Family Support Centre Housekeeper Location: The Joshua Tree Support Centre, Sandiway, CW8 2GW Hours: 20 hours per week (Mon-Friday 10am-2pm as standard but flexibility will be required) Contract: Fixed term, Part-Time Salary: £23,962 FTE Reports to: Family Support Team Leader A warm welcome starts with you At The Joshua Tree, we support families affected by childhood cancer, providing emotional, health and wellbeing support throughout their journey and beyond. Our Family Support Centre is a place where families can breathe, find comfort, and feel at home. We’re recruiting for a new Centre Housekeeper Role to help us maintain high standards, deliver a warm home-from home experience and ensure safety through rigorous infection control measures. The person we will appoint will take pride in creating a clean, safe and welcoming environment where every visitor feels cared for the moment they walk through the door. About the role As our Centre Housekeeper, you’ll be much more than a cleaner. You’ll be the friendly face who helps to ensure families support sessions run smoothly, offering a warm greeting, making a cup of tea, keeping activity rooms clean and ready for use. Adapting to the operational challenges that come with a fast paced, changing environment. You’ll make sure every corner of the Centre, including our family accommodation, is maintained to the highest standards of cleanliness and comfort. You’ll also support staff and volunteers to create a space that truly feels special to the families who visit us. About you We’re looking for someone who is: • Naturally warm, friendly and approachable. • Proud of keeping things clean, organised and welcoming. • Comfortable chatting with families and putting people at ease. • A team player who can also work independently and use initiative. • Flexible and reliable, with a “can-do” attitude. • Experienced in housekeeping, cleaning or hospitality. • Understanding of high cleaning standards and infection control practices. • Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries. • Well-organised, with strong attention to detail and time management skills. • Flexible and able to adapt to the changing needs of the Centre. • Capable of meeting the physical demands of the role. • Positive attitude and commitment to the values of the charity. Key Responsibilities Centre Environment & Housekeeping • Carry out all cleaning duties before and during activities within the Centre to a consistently high standard. • Maintain laundry, linen and kitchen areas, ensuring regular washing and stock rotation. • Ensure safe and economic use of cleaning materials and equipment; assist with ordering cleaning supplies and maintaining stock levels. • Take pride in creating a warm, tidy, and welcoming environment for families, visitors and staff. • Support volunteers assisting with household and hospitality duties. • Monitor the centre during sessions, identifying and reporting any areas of concern relating to safety, cleanliness, or family needs. • Adhere to health and safety, safeguarding, and infection control procedures at all times. Hospitality & Front of House • Provide a friendly and reassuring presence to families and visitors. • Welcome guests, offer refreshments, and help create a calm and caring atmosphere. • Support the smooth running of the Centre, including preparing rooms for meetings, activities, or wellbeing sessions. • Occasionally assist with setting up events at the Centre. • Maintain confidentiality and sensitivity at all times. Teamwork & Charity Engagement • Work collaboratively with the Family Support and Volunteer Teams. • Attend relevant training, supervision and team meetings. • Support brand or fundraising activities, as directed by your line manager. • Contribute to the continuous improvement of our service by offering feedback and ideas. Why join us? You’ll be part of a caring, committed team making a real difference to families facing the challenges of childhood cancer. You’ll help keep our Centre the safe, comforting place it’s meant to be, a space filled with warmth, dignity and hope. We offer: • A welcoming and supportive work environment. • Training and ongoing development. • The chance to be part of a charity that changes lives every day.
THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS
12 per hour
Sandiway, Cheshire
Full-time
Job Title Salary Hours Location Job Description Childrens Playworker £12 per hour Bank Worker - 0 hours contract The Joshua Tree Family Support Centre, Sandiway, Cheshire Reports to Family Support Manager About The Joshua Tree The Joshua Tree was founded in 2006 by Lynda and David Hill after their son Joshua was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. As a charity we provide on-going mental and emotional well-being support to families affected by childhood cancers, both on and off treatment, but particularly recognising that post treatment can be a challenging time, when families are having to adapt to their `new normal’. To date, we have supported over 350 families across Cheshire, North West England and remotely in North Wales. After 14 years of fundraising, we opened our brand-new purpose-built Joshua Tree Support Centre in May 2021. The centre, located in Sandiway, Northwich has been built and furnished entirely through a mix of local donations, grant funding and corporate support. There are now a range of exciting opportunities to further grow and develop the charity over the coming years. This includes increasing the number of families we support, diversifying and raising new income streams and further developing our partnership work. Job Purpose To deliver play based activities at the Support Centre in Cheshire and/or on location at identified venues across Cheshire. Work alongside our family support team to develop and plan playful events that enable children and families to be included in fun, child-centred activities and build friendships. To create opportunities to embed principles of quality play into events and supervise child-led play. The activities will be delivered during evenings, weekends and school holidays, therefore offering families a broad range of opportunities to engage. Days and hours of work will be negotiated at least a month in advance. As part of our family support service, The Joshua Tree provides opportunities for all members of our families to connect with and gain support from our team of support workers. This includes children and young people that are newly diagnosed with cancer, on treatment and post treatment, as well as siblings and wider young family members. Key Responsibilities • Develop a range of play based activities aimed at engaging families who are affected by childhood cancer. • To use knowledge of child development and the benefits of play to deliver and evaluate inclusive activities that will enhance children’s emotional wellbeing. • To engage and communicate effectively with families. It is important to be able to actively listen and know the ways in which the Joshua Tree can support them. • Provide regular play opportunities for beneficiaries and siblings to connect with peers who have had similar experiences. • Provide a welcoming, safe and child-centred environment and encourage the children’s ownership of the play area through art displays, celebrations of work, achievements and relevant information. Likewise, with the teenage area. • Be committed to safeguarding and always promote the welfare of children, by adhering to the robust safeguarding procedures and attending all relevant training programmes. • Actively engage with reflection and supervision to enhance personal wellbeing and practice. • Ensure records are kept up to date. • Adhere to all The Joshua Tree policies and procedures. • Take on other duties as may be required to fulfil the objectives of the role. The nature of work is hugely rewarding it can also be emotionally demanding. A full induction programme and training will be provided, and we are a very supportive team, offering regular supervision and reflection time to support emotional wellbeing. The Joshua Tree is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974. Please email the completed form to recruitment@thejoshuatree.org.uk. If you have any queries, please ring our office on 01606 331858 and ask to speak to Danielle Percival or email daniellepercival@thejoshuatree.org.uk
THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS
The Joshua Tree
Full-time
Children’s Playworker - PERSON SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS SKILLS AND ABILITIES EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL • Ability to develop, organise and run activities and events, online as well as face to face • Ability to work with individuals and groups • High level of interpersonal / communication skills • Ability to be an active listener • Excellent organisational skills, including managing own diary commitment to working hours • Ability to deal with emotive situations • Car driver • Experience of working with children and families – minimum 1 year • Experience of organising and managing play activities • Experience of working within professional boundaries • Appropriate higher-level qualification in a relevant field • Demonstrated understanding of emotional well-being, trauma and the effects on families Safeguarding knowledge and training • • Knowledge of other relevant local services, organisations and agencies • IT training/good level of IT skills • Warm, friendly, open and caring way of being • Enjoys working in a team • Flexible and resilient • Able to work evenings and weekends DESIRABLE • Dynamic Risk Assessing • Session planning and evaluation of outcomes • Recognised Playwork Qualification ASSESSED Interview Certificates • Working knowledge of databases • Experience of working with children and families in difficult situations e.g. illness and bereavement • Counselling skills • Understanding of the needs of children and their families after diagnosis, during and post treatment First Aid training/qualification • Application Interview Application Interview Application Interview References The post holder will be expected to adhere to The Joshua Tree’s ethos and values.