Scotty's - Bereavement Counsellor

Remote: Within 2-hour travel to Cambridge for team meet-ups required.
Salary: 32,000 to 36,000 (Dependent on experience.)
Type: Full-time, permanent.
Team: Families Team
Directly Supported By: Head of SUPPORT

The Charity and The Vision

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting military children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. Founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, the charity offers a unique blend of emotional, practical, and educational support to over 800 young people. We are currently embarking on an exciting journey which will see the charity evolve to support anyone affected by a military-connected bereavement and ultimately empower a community of more than 25,000 bereaved individuals and their families by 2035.

We are proud of our vibrant, non-traditional culture, which puts the needs of the bereaved military community at the heart of everything we do. We embrace innovative approaches, are committed to creating smiles and believe in the power of community, resilience, and connection.

Scotty’s is seeking an experienced bereavement counsellor, with a strong focus on Scotty’s adult community, to join our small but effective team. The role involves supporting adults, and also children and young people affected by bereavement, which may include death in service, illness, or suicide.

We want everyone affected by military connected bereavement to have:

Access to the very best emotional health and wellbeing support.

Outstanding development opportunities.
The chance to smile again.
Confidence and clarity in navigating their entitlements.

We call these our Promises. Our promises align with our four programmes: START, SMILES, STRIDES and SUPPORT.

The START Programme ensures that there is a single point of contact for adults who need to gain confidence and clarity in navigating their entitlements following a bereavement.
The SMILES Programme provides children and adults with the chance to smile again.
The STRIDES Programme provides children with outstanding development opportunities.
TheSUPPORT Programme provides the very best emotional health and wellbeing support to children and adults who are struggling to cope following a bereavement.

Our Bereavement Counsellor will be a valuable member of the SUPPORT Programme, delivering online 1:1 and group support to those who need it most. But all four programmes work closely together (we call this the Families team).

Role Mission:

The Scotty’s Bereavement Counsellor will work with our adults, children and families who are struggling with their grief to help them understand their feelings, develop coping skills and build their new life.

This role will be accountable for:

Providing emotional support, counselling and therapeutic interventions to individuals and families coping with grief and loss. The role involves working compassionately and ethically with anyone affected by military connected bereavement, helping them process their emotions and find ways to adjust to life after a loss.

The Bereavement Counsellor will work collaboratively with the SUPPORT team and the wider Families team to ensure that all work undertaken by Scotty’s is delivered in a supportive and sensitive manner and that the whole Scotty community receive exemplary care.

What are the 3-month goals for this role:

Within three months the Counsellor will have developed their knowledge of the range of services that Scotty’s offers to our community so that they can advise and support individuals and families in their case load.
Will have begun to learn and understand the Scotty Values and the Scotty Way (we do things a little differently and our culture is very important to us and our community!).
Would have begun supporting the community members assigned to their caseload by the Head of SUPPORT. This will be through online 1:1 delivery, and some group online sessions, drop ins or workshops.
Will have completed all necessary safeguarding training and be part of the Scotty’s Safeguarding team.
Begun attending peer supervision sessions with the SUPPORT team.

What are the 6-month goals for this role:

Will have established a caseload across the Scotty community, as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT.
Will have begun to support the wider Families team by attending Scotty events. At Scotty events, a SUPPORT team member often attends to provide support to any families who may need it on the day (this may require occasional weekend or evening work).
Will be working cohesively with the Families team and the wider Scotty team to share knowledge and skills. Scotty’s values a culture of learning and strives to ensure team members can learn from one another’s expertise.
Will be contributing to peer supervision sessions to ensure all SUPPORT team members are able to give the best support to families.
Regularly meeting with your selected external supervisor.

What are the 9-month goals for this role:

Will be supporting a caseload as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT, with emerging impact data showing the outcomes of your support. Scotty’s uses a range of practitioner and impact measurement tools to monitor the impact of SUPPORT team’s work.
Will be a valuable member of the SUPPORT programme, Families and the wider Scotty team. Providing high-quality bereavement counselling and support directly to the Scotty Community and by working collaboratively with other team members.
Will be contributing to developing resources and workshops that support the Scotty Community.

What are the key responsibilities of this role:

Managing a caseload and delivering one to one counselling sessions as assigned by the Head of SUPPORT. This will predominantly be online delivery using Teams video calling but also other formats as needed by community members.
Facilitate group therapy or support groups when appropriate.
Conduct initial assessment to determine clients’ needs and suitability for counselling.
Maintaining accurate and confidential case notes in a timely fashion using our CRM in accordance with data protection and organisational policies.
Adhering to all safeguarding requirements and operating as part of the Scotty Safeguarding team to maintain the highest standards across the charity.
Part of a team creating and developing resources and materials for the whole Scotty community.
Working collaboratively within the SUPPORT team, including peer supervision.
Working collaboratively within the Families team to ensure that Scotty community members and families are directed to the appropriate services in a timely fashion. This could include directing people you are working with towards our educational grants, our respite breaks, our events, our START support or our advocacy.
Liaise with other professionals such as GPs, CAMHS, social workers, education or other professionals where appropriate to ensure holistic care and management of risk.
Attending at least six (mandatory) face to face team days, normally located in the East of England, alongside some in person team meetings.
Participate in regular clinical supervision and continuing professional development.

Skillset and Experiences Required:

Essential

Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). We may consider applications from practitioners with HCPC or NCPS membership too.
Level 4 Counselling / Psychotherapy Diploma or above.
Significant experience (post qualification), providing bereavement counselling to adults and some experience of counselling with children and young people (0-25yrs).
Experience and training with NICE-approved talking therapies.
Strong understanding of grief, bereavement, trauma and the impact of loss, and experience supporting traumatic bereavement or more complex grief presentations.
Demonstrable safeguarding knowledge and experience
Confident in professional judgement, boundaries, safeguarding and confidentiality.
Willing and able to support lower-level emotional support needs as well as more complex presentations, depending on service demand.
Experience of managing a complex caseload effectively.
Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings for drop-ins, later appointments or events in line with service need.
Excellent computer literacy.
Ability to engage with peer supervision and external supervision (organised by Scotty’s) effectively.
Ability to engage with a culture of continuous learning and support the learning of others.
Reflective, curious and open to feedback.
Willingness to work flexibly as part of a team and independently to meet the needs of the service.
Commitment to professional standards and ethical practice.

Desirable

Military-connected experience or knowledge would be an advantage but not essential if you have a willingness to learn.
Experience of group work and peer support delivery would be helpful. Willingness to lead on these sessions as required.
Experience in end-of-life care and pre-bereavement work.
Experience of online counselling.
Experience and training in counselling linked to suicide and suicidal ideation.
Knowledge of or experience using assessment tools such as WEMWBS or CBSQs.
Knowledge of statutory services and systems.

Additional Information

The role may require evening or weekend work from time to time
Enhanced DBS check required
Travel will be required to events and team training days

The Scotty’s Way

At Scotty’s, our personal performance is only 50% of what success looks like. Our culture is equally important. When you join our team, you sign up to The Scotty’s Way, rooted in our four core values:

Families Come First
Everyone a Supporter, Every Supporter a VIP
Love What You Do
Remember, Every Day

Our values are further supported by our four non-negotiable behaviours of Show Respect, Speak Up, Take Ownership and Actively Collaborate. We are looking for an individual who embodies these values and behaviours.

To Apply:

Please submit your CV, along with a covering letter detailing your experience and what excites you about this role, to: recruitment@scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk. The closing date for this role is Monday 24 August.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team, we are an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with respect and given equal opportunities for employment and advancement.

We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.

We encourage all qualified individuals to apply for employment within our charity, and we provide a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.

Scotty’s – Bereavement Counsellor