Job summary
An exciting and rare opportunity has arisen in the South West Paediatric Kidney Service. This is a full-time appointment for a Specialist Social Worker. The post holder will provide a social work service to children and young people with kidney disease and their families attending Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRHC), working across inpatient, outpatient and community settings.

The South West Paediatric Kidney Service provides specialist care for children and young people with acute and chronic kidney disease, including dialysis, transplantation and long-term renal conditions. The service includes inpatient and outpatient facilities, haemodialysis services and regional outreach provision. The multidisciplinary team includes community nurses, doctors, psychologists, dietitians, pharmacists, play specialists, inpatient and haemodialysis nurses and social work support.

The post holder will work collaboratively with local authority services, educational settings, hospital teams and voluntary organisations to ensure coordinated, patient-centred care. The role will also contribute to service improvement initiatives, family support activities, peer support programmes, educational events and the annual kidney camp.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a specialist social work service to children, young people and families receiving care within the South West Paediatric Kidney Service.
• To promote the wellbeing of patients and families and help achieve the best possible health and social outcomes.
• To support families in managing the emotional, practical, financial and safeguarding challenges associated with kidney disease.
• To contribute to multidisciplinary care planning and service development initiatives within the Paediatric Kidney Service.

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston. With an annual turnover of 2.6 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Chaired by Ingrid Barker and led by Maria Kane as Chief Executive, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust aims to transform the way healthcare is delivered locally with a clear focus on making a difference for what we call our Four Ps:

• Better outcomes for our Patients
• More opportunities for our People
• Fairer more consistent care for our Population
• Best Value for Public Purse

Our vision for five years from now:

• Patients will wait less time to be diagnosed and treated, and they will have the same high-quality experience and outcomes, regardless of who they are or where they live.
• We will meet rising demand by maximising the use of our available resources.
• More care will be delivered nearer to patients, in their homes or the community.
• Digital technologies will have transformed the way we work and the way we deliver care.
• Our people will feel engaged, energised and empowered by their work.
• We will be known as a place where people enjoy working, training and building a career.
• Our volume of globally renowned research and innovation will have grown significantly.
• We will contribute to system financial balance

Details
Date posted: 25 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
per annum, pror rata for part time roles
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share
Reference number: 387-W&C5486-NG
Job locations: Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8BJ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Clinical and Family Support

• Work as a fully integrated member of the Paediatric Kidney Service multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver a needs-led specialist social work service in accordance with legislation, professional standards and best practice.
• Undertake psychosocial assessments and identify social, emotional, safeguarding and practical needs of children, young people and their families.
• Coordinate psychosocial aspects of care pathways including diagnosis, dialysis, transplantation and transition to adult services.
• Provide emotional and practical support to children, young people and families during periods of illness, treatment and hospital admission.
• Support families experiencing distress, uncertainty, significant life changes or bereavement.
• Assist families with accessing financial support, welfare benefits, grants and charitable funding opportunities.
• Promote treatment engagement and help address barriers to treatment adherence and attendance.

Safeguarding and Advocacy

• Act as a source of specialist social work knowledge for the multidisciplinary team.
• Provide advice regarding safeguarding, child protection and social care issues affecting children and families.
• Liaise with safeguarding teams, local authorities and external agencies as appropriate.
• Advocate for children, young people and families to ensure their needs are recognised and addressed.
• Promote anti-discriminatory and inclusive practice throughout all areas of work.

Partnership Working

• Act as a link between families and statutory, educational, healthcare and voluntary organisations.
• Participate in multi-agency meetings, Team Around the Child meetings and safeguarding discussions as required.
• Promote awareness among external agencies of the challenges associated with paediatric kidney disease and long-term health conditions.
• Support coordinated discharge planning and community reintegration where required.

Service Development and Education

• Participate in service evaluation, audit, quality improvement and research activities where appropriate.
• Contribute to service development projects and innovations within the Paediatric Kidney Service.
• Support family workshops, patient education events and peer support opportunities.
• Assist with organisation of family engagement activities including peer-support days and annual renal family events.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain contemporaneous and accurate records in accordance with Trust policies and professional standards.
• Actively participate in supervision, appraisal and mandatory training.
• Participate in local and national paediatric renal social work networks and peer supervision opportunities.
• Maintain professional registration and continuing professional development requirements.
• Contribute to the performance management process through objective setting and review.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role and grade as agreed with the line manager.

The role is based at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in central Bristol although the role requires working across the commissioned area and occasional travel. It is also possible for part of the week to be worked from home.

For further details please contact paediatric community nurse lead Jo Woodland on Joanna.Woodland@uhbw.nhs.uk (0117 34 28548) or Clinical Psychologist Dr Claire Semple on Claire.Semple@uhbw.nhs.uk (0117 342 8168).

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• Current registration with Social Work England
• Degree in Social Work or recognised equivalent qualification

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Minimum three years post-qualification social work experience
• Experience of working with children, young people and families with complex needs.
• Experience of safeguarding and child protection work
• Understanding of equality, diversity, and anti-discriminatory practice

Desirable

• Experience working within healthcare, disability or long-term conditions
• Experience working within paediatric services
• Experience in service development, quality improvement or research activity

Aptitudes
Essential

• Ability to manage a varied caseload and prioritise effectively
• Able to manage sensitive information and demonstrate active listening skills
• Able to demonstrate empathic and relatable manner in working with families and team members
• Able to demonstrate good organisations and time management skills

Desirable

• Driving licence and ability to travel within the South West

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Able to assess the SW needs of patients and families in a physical health setting
• Able to generate systemic and individual assessments and interventions based on applying socal work principles to the complex information generated by the family, health and social care systems
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of the roles of a specialist social worker in relation to a patient/ their family/ the staff teams/ and the wider organisational systems around them
• Able to prioritise workload depending on risk/need
• Understanding of own needs related to job role and evidence of managing this

Desirable

• Knowledge of welfare benefits and charitable funding systems

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).