We have an exciting opportunity for a Young Persons' Social Prescriber to join our established Primary Care Network (PCN).
You will be a compassionate and skilled individual with experience of working with young people. You will be joining a skilled and innovative multi-disciplinary team and will help identify and meet the emotional, practical, social, and financial needs of our young patients and their families.
Main duties of the job
Young Persons' Social Prescribers give young people time to focus on what matters to them and take a holistic approach to an individual's health and wellbeing.
About us
Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a fundamental part of the NHS Long-Term Plan, bringing GP practices together to enhance workforce recruitment and retention, manage financial and operational challenges, expand services for patients, and integrate more effectively with the broader health and care system.
Within Totton PCN, we have two surgeries, New Horizons Medical Partnership and Testvale Surgery, serving a population of approximately 37,000 patients. Both surgeries are active training practices with CQC ratings of Good. Totton PCN are an expanding and progressive organisation with excellent patient care as our central value. We have a host of multidisciplinary staff within the PCN including Social Prescribers, a Pharmacy Team, FCP MSK, Home Visiting Service, Care Co-ordinators, Care Navigators and a well-established Mental Health Team.
Please do not delay applying for this vacancy as interviews will be held prior to the closing date if suitable applications are received.
Job responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the Young Persons' Social Prescriber. There may be on occasion a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels.
1. Building Connections and Supporting Referrals
1. Promote social prescribing, self-care, and overall wellbeing, helping young people take control of their health.
2. Build strong relationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN), attending relevant meetings, integrating with the network team, and providing feedback on social prescribing.
3. Connect with local services and groups to create referral pathways and build trust in the social prescribing service.
4. Work closely with schools, youth services, sports clubs, creative groups, charities and other community resources to raise awareness of social prescribing and how it can improve young people's lives.
5. Share useful resources and updates with partner organisations and offer training when needed, gathering ongoing feedback about the quality and impact of social prescribing.
6. Encourage self-referrals across all communities and reach out to young people who may be harder to engage.
2. Providing Tailored Support
1. Meet young people one-on-one, in person, over the phone, or at home if needed, to understand what matters most to them.
2. Create a safe, friendly space where young people feel listened to and supported without judgment.
3. Help identify key challenges, like stress, money worries, family issues, carer responsibilities, school pressure, loneliness, or housing concerns.
4. Work with young people and their families to explore different ways to improve wellbeing through social prescribing.
5. Support young people in building confidence, independence, and life skills to navigate challenges.
6. Develop personalised action plans, signposting to groups, activities, and services that fit their interests and goals.
7. Where needed, personally introduce young people to community services, making sure they feel welcome, included and supported.
8. Help them explore funding options, including personal health budgets, for further support, training, or work opportunities.
3. Working with the Community
1. Be confident in sourcing information about local youth-friendly services and support networks.
2. Check organisations' safeguarding, safety, and data protection measures before making referrals.
3. Work closely with community groups to make sure referrals are handled smoothly and young people get the right support.
4. Champion the benefits of spending time outdoors and using nature-based activities to support mental and physical health. To include (but not limited to): Leading group activities such as, nature walks (in a range of settings), allotments etc.
5. Using personal and social skills to enhance young people's lives through coping mechanisms.
4. Strengthening Local Support Networks
1. Work with local partners to identify gaps in youth services and help develop new projects where needed.
2. Support the growth of community-led initiatives by helping groups apply for funding or training.
3. Encourage young people who have benefited from social prescribing to volunteer, get involved, and support others.
4. Develop a peer-support network where young people can connect, share experiences and help each other.
5. Help families and carers set up their own support groups or community activities.
6. Regularly check in with community groups to ensure they continue to provide safe, high-quality and sustainable support.
5. Tracking Progress and Sharing Impact
1. Work sensitively with young people and their families to collect feedback and measure the impact of social prescribing.
2. Encourage young people to share their experiences to improve service and highlight success stories.
3. Ensure all referrals are recorded correctly and track progress through the case management system.
4. Work closely with GP practices to ensure social prescribing referrals are correctly recorded in EMIS clinical systems and contribute to tracking NHS service use while adhering to data protection laws.
6. General Responsibilities
1. Attend relevant Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings to share updates and insights on social prescribing.
2. Use strong IT skills to record organised case notes and produce efficient reports.
3. Uphold patient confidentiality, dignity, and respect at all times for every young person.
4. Access to personal transport for travelling within the locality and on home visits.
5. Participate in service reviews and learning sessions to improve how the team works.
Person Specification
Qualifications
1. NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards.
2. Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development.
3. Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience.
Other Requirements
1. Flexibility to work outside core office hours.
2. Occupational Health clearance.
3. Possess a valid driving licence and transport for home visits.
Knowledge and Skills
1. Knowledge of, and ability to work to, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
2. Have awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the person's needs are beyond the scope of the role for example, when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.
3. Knowledge of the personalised care approach. Utilises the evidence base for social prescribing interventions and activities.
4. Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carers.
5. Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
6. Knowledge of community development approaches including asset-based community development and community resilience.
7. Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails, and the internet to create simple plans and reports.
8. Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets.
9. Understanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to contribute to supporting their development.
10. Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines.
11. High level of written and oral communication skills.
12. Confidently approaches difficult conversations.
13. Local knowledge of VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector) and community services.
14. Able to provide motivational coaching to support people's behaviour change.
Experience
1. Experience of working in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work).
2. Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid work).
3. Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid, or informal capacity.
4. Experience of data collection and using tools to measure the impact of services.
5. Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
6. Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues.
7. Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
8. Experience of working in a primary care environment.
9. Experience of working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small community groups.
Personal Qualities
1. Ability to actively listen, empathise with young people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgemental way.
2. Able to provide a culturally sensitive service, by supporting people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.
3. Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from diverse communities.
4. Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential, adapting to individual levels of activation and health literacy.
5. Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders, adapting communication styles accordingly.
6. Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies (including VCSE organisations and community groups). Able to work with others to reduce hierarchies and find creative solutions to community issues.
7. Can demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience, and ability to work well under pressure.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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