The Sickle Cell Society is looking for mentors to join the team and support in delivering the Sickle Cell Children & Young Person’s Peer Mentoring Programme. It aims to improve the health and wellbeing of young people with SCD across London.

Post: North East London Lead Mentor – Sickle Cell Children’s and Young Person’s Peer Mentoring Programme
Base: Flexible home working, and other locations to meet the needs of the young person.

Accountable to: London Programme Manager 

Manages: NEL Mentors & Welfare and Benefits Manager. 

Salary: £17.49 per hour (sessional basis)

Length of contract: Fixed term, 12 months (Subject to the outcome of negotiations with funders).

Job Purpose

The Lead Mentor will be managing the mentor team as well as working in partnership with the local NHS local patient/family Support Groups in their region. They will deliver mentoring sessions to young people on a sessional basis.

The aim of the Sickle Cell Children’s and Young Person’s Peer Mentoring Programme is to improve the health and wellbeing of young people with SCD through training, emotional support from mentors and peer-support, improve young people’s understanding and management of the condition, improve young people’s ability to negotiate transition from paediatric to adult services, encourage young people’s involvement in volunteering to support others with the condition and engage more with their local community.

About the Sickle Cell Society:

The Sickle Cell Society (SCS) is the only national charity in the UK that supports and represents people affected by a sickle cell disorder. We provide information, advice, and support to enable and empower individuals and families to improve their overall quality of life. Approximately 15,000 people in the UK have sickle cell disorder. These inherited conditionals predominantly affect people of Black African

and Black Caribbean heritage and to a lesser extent people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Central/South American heritage.

We assist and enable people living with SCD to realise their full potential whilst successfully managing the challenges they face in living with this potentially life-limiting condition. We are a small, friendly, and close-knit team of 14 skilled and highly committed staff approximately 30 active volunteers.

If you want to find out more about the work we do, including the Give Blood, Spread Love Project, Screening Programme, and Helpline Services, please visit our website.

Key responsibilities and duties

● Work with young people with SCD on 1:1 basis and through group work
● Provide support to young people undergoing transition from paediatric to adult Sickle Cell Services to enable them to feel more confident about change.
● Provide practical advice and guidance on managing SCD and the symptoms, leading to a healthy lifestyle.
● Provide emotional mentoring support.
● Provide understanding about rights around housing and employment issues (where appropriate)
● To encourage mentee involvement in peer support activities
● To organise engaging activities for young people to take part in as a group.
● To encourage young people to take part in volunteering with the Hackney Sickle Cell Project and SCS children’s holidays which can help mentees with their wellbeing and employment prospects.
● To carefully track attendance records and keep a diary of the 1-to-1 and group mentoring sessions and social activities being delivered over the 12-months.
● To keep a record of the time spent in delivering the sessions.
● To work with the Lead Mentor in ensuring there is a smooth running of the service.
● To report back to the Lead Mentor on a regular basis and provide him/her with necessary information.

Expectations

● To ensure that all work with young people is managed professionally and effectively.
● To ensure that a young person’s feels safe and secure in discussing personal issues.
● To ensure confidentiality is not breached unless there is a safeguarding or criminal issue.
● To report any issues of concern relating to safeguarding and quality of care arising from the work of the post to the programme manager
● To ensure regular liaison with the programme manager
●To attend regular monthly meetings with the NEL ICB to stay up to date with developments in Sickle services and ensure alignment with current strategies and objectives.

●Meet with Clinical Lead & NEL ICB to provide regular updates on the programmes progress.

●To be able to work flexibly for example, evening or weekends when necessary.

This job description is intended to assist the post holder to understand his/her duties/main responsibilities. It may be amended from time to time, as the post develops.

Person specification

You are advised to read the following notes carefully. You must show in your application form how you meet the criteria listed below. For this role it is essential that you have Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD).

E- Essential
D- Desirable
Qualifications
• GCSE English – E

Experience
● Mentoring or supporting individuals in a formal or informal setting – E
● Working with groups of patients – D
● Good knowledge and understanding of Sickle Cell Disorder and how it impacts on young people – E
● Experience of working on own initiative and with others – E
● Experience of effective partnership working with a wide range of groups, individuals, and organisations – D
● Knowledge of local services to signpost young people affected by where appropriate SCD – D
● Collating data, analysing data and report writing – D
● Managing a budget – D
● Managing staff or volunteers – E
● Experience of managing projects – D

Competencies
● Shows empathy to people experiencing difficulty –E
● Good listening skills – E
● Non-judgemental about a person’s circumstance or situation -E
● Understanding and application of confidentiality – E
● Possesses excellent written and oral communication skills – E
● Possesses excellent time management skills and experience of prioritising effectively -E
● Ability to collect and analyse data – E
● IT Literate-E
● To work flexibly with Mentees -E

Attributes
● Shows confidence in dealing with people and situations – E
● Excellent interpersonal skills – E
● Demonstrates a willingness to learn- E
● Is enthusiastic about the sickle cell cause – E
● Willing to work at weekends or evenings if necessary -E

To Apply:
Please complete the Application Form and send it to mentors@sicklecellsociety.org before the closing date.
Please note all applicants must reside in the UK.
Closing date for applications: 20th June 2025
Interview date via Zoom or Microsoft Teams : TBD

Please note this role is required to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The successful candidate will be required to comply with the Sickle Cell Society’s safeguarding policies and any appointment will be subject to satisfactory references as well as DBS.

Additional Notes:

• Please make sure that you demonstrate how you are suitable for this role in your application by referring to the person specification.
• Please note that we do not accept CVs and all applicants must reside in the UK.
• This post will require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at Enhanced Level.

 

 

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Job Description and Person Specification:  NEL Lead Mentor

Application Form: Download the Application Form here 

Equal Opportunities Form: Download and complete our Equal Opportunities Form here