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Havens Hospices
About
Havens Hospices provides palliative nursing and supportive care to adults and children living with complex or incurable conditions.
Our specialist Care Teams can support them and their family living throughout illness, death and bereavement, in the comfort of their own home and through our hospice services, Fair Havens and Little Havens.
We focus on their quality of life, caring for individual physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs. We don’t charge a penny for any of our care services. Our hospice care can only exist because of the support and generosity of the community.
Together, we’re ‘Making every day count.’
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Play Assistant
Accepting applications until: 06-Jan-2026 08:00
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 06-Jan-2026 08:00
Key details
Location
- Site
- Little Havens
- Address
- Daws Heath Road
- Town
- Thundersley
- Postcode
- SS7 2LH
- Major / Minor Region
- Essex
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 16 hours per week
Salary
- Salary
- £24,465 £10,523.73 pro-rata per annum.
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (Band 2)
Specialty
- Main area
- Palliative Care
Job overview
Are you passionate about creating fun, meaningful experiences for children and young people? We’re looking for someone who can help plan, lead, and support play and activity sessions that are engaging, inclusive, and tailored to each child’s age, needs, and background—especially those with special educational needs (SEN).
This is a part time role, 16 hours per week. Candidates would need to be available for shifts across Monday to Sunday, and be available during evenings, weekends and bank holidays, on a rostered basis.
Advert
In this role, you’ll be at the heart of creating positive, meaningful experiences for children, young people, and their families. Your key responsibilities will include:
- Planning and leading play activities that promote emotional, social, and developmental wellbeing.
- Creating a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment where children and young people feel supported and empowered to express themselves.
- Supporting parents and carers to build confidence in engaging and playing with their child, helping to strengthen those vital early bonds.
- You’ll also contribute to play assessments, helping to identify the individual developmental and emotional needs of each child. Working closely with other professionals, you’ll assist in the planning and delivery of tailored play programmes that form part of each child’s wider holistic care.
Working for our organisation
At Havens Hospices, we care for children, young people and adults with complex or incurable conditions. Our specialist Care Teams can support them and their family living throughout illness, death and bereavement in the comfort of their own home and through our hospice services, Fair Havens and Little Havens.
Working at Havens Hospices allows you to give the gift of time to patients and families, creating memories. Although you may not be giving direct care to our patients, your contribution will have an immediate effect on our care services.
In return for your expertise and passion, you will receive a competitive salary package, and most of all, by making the most of every day you work at Havens Hospices you’ll be helping us continue ‘Making every day count’ for those who need us most.
At Havens Hospices we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our employees and patients and expect all colleagues to share this commitment.
We value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Help to provide an environment in which play always occurs naturally.
- Help to provide an attractive, child-orientated environment including the Children and Young People’s own work.
- Encourage play to maintain the child/young person’s link with family and home and to help the child/young person to adjust to the hospice situation.
- Facilitate active play for children with special needs
- Provide appropriate play that promotes growth and development (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive)
- Help familiarise children and young people with unfamiliar surroundings to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Assist the Play Therapist in supporting children/young people who are experiencing death and bereavement helping children and young people to understand and explore grief and loss through play.
- Encourage parents/carer’s, siblings, and all members of staff to participate in play.
- Ensure that a range of activities are available for other staff to utilise in the absence of the play specialist
- Observe and assess the child/young person’s anxieties and communicate these to the appropriate staff.
- Establish effective communication with all members of the multidisciplinary team.
- Contribute to the written care plan of each child/young person and document interventions in the child/young person’s records.
Applicant requirements
Person specification
Skills
Essential criteria
- Competent in keyboard and IT skills, using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook,
Desirable criteria
- Children’s palliative care and end of life experience
- Experience of working in the Charity Sector
- Ability to Swim
Experience
Essential criteria
- Childcare qualification at level 3 or above (qualification levels)
- Key skills level 2 in literacy and numeracy, or equivalent
- Experience of working with children with disabilities
- Experience of planning, evaluating and facilitating play sessions.
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lorraine Wilce
- Job title
- Service Co-ordinator
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01702 552200
- Additional information
Lindsay Wallman - Caseload Liaison Nurse
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