Child Bereavement Specialist - Meerkat Team - St. Michael's Hospice

We are seeking a skilled and compassionate clinician to join our developing Meerkats Service at St Michaels Hospice. This specialist service provides pre and post bereavement support to children and young people up to the age of 18 who have a significant adult (such as a parent or grandparent) with a life limiting illness or who have died.

This is a unique and emotionally demanding role within an adult hospice setting. The successful candidate will be required to assess the psychosocial needs of children and their families, provide specialist support accordingly and work flexibly to accommodate the needs of families; this will include facilitating groups.

We are looking to appoint an individual who holds a relevant professional qualification at diploma or degree level. For example, this post could be suited to a qualified Social Worker, a Nurse, Counsellor or other therapist. In addition, we expect the candidate to be able to demonstrate their experience of working therapeutically with children, young people and their families and have a sound understanding of childrens needs in loss.

The successful candidate will be confident managing a caseload independently, working within multi-agency systems and contributing to service development as the Meerkats provision continues to grow.

Experience of managing a caseload, multi-agency working and excellent communication skills are essential.

The role

The Child Bereavement Specialist will assess the psychosocial and emotional needs of children and families affected by life limiting illness and bereavement. They will provide specialist pre and postbereavement support through one-to-one sessions with children, guidance to parents and family members as well as delivering group support for children.

The role involves close liaison with hospice clinical teams, schools and other external professionals to ensure children receive timely and appropriate support. Contribution to safeguarding processes, delivering training and guidance to education settings where appropriate and supporting the continued development of the service, will be integral to this role.

The post holder will maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to service evaluation through routine data collection and reflective practice. Participation in regular clinical supervision and ongoing professional development is a core requirement of the role.

The successful candidate will be required to travel to Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville on an ongoing basis to shadow and work alongside the established Rowans Meerkat Team. This regular engagement will support continued learning, reflective practice and supervision. Attendance is expected to be guided by service need and developmental priorities and is likely to be in the region of 1-2 days per week, subject to review.

Our Partnership Approach

St Michaels Hospice and Rowans Hospice share a Chief Executive and work in close partnership across our organisations. This collaborative approach enables us to strengthen specialist services through shared learning, governance and clinical development.

Rowans Hospice established its Meerkat Service in 2008. The service is delivered by an experienced team of three clinicians and has developed a strong reputation for providing high quality pre and post bereavement support to children and young people within an adult hospice setting.

We are now bringing the Meerkat model to St Michaels Hospice to ensure that children and young people across North Hampshire can access timely, specialist support when facing the serious illness or death of a significant adult. This post represents an important step in embedding this established model within our local community.

We offer a competitive salary with attractive benefits, including, free parking, life assurance, 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and an extensive health and wellbeing plan and company pension.

Contact

For further information please contact Sophie de Bere on or the HR team on or at

1st Interview: Monday 27 April 2026 hael's Hospice, Basingstoke, RG24 9NB

2nd interview: Thursday 30 April 2026 at Rowans Hospice, Waterlooville,…