Job summary
- Main area
- Chaplain
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 380-SS0712
- Employer
- Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Dartford and/or Maidstone
- Town
- Dartford
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/12/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Chaplain
NHS AfC: Band 6
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We offer a range of ongoing benefits to our valued workforce. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work-life balance.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you.
Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.
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Job overview
We are really excited to be able to offer the opportunity for a full-time and a part-time Mental Health Chaplain to join our Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care Team.
We recognise that understanding and responding to the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of our patients plays an incredibly important role in both the wellbeing and treatment of the individuals that we work with in mental health services. For that reason, we are looking to recruit experienced and enthusiastic Mental Health Chaplains to work across a range of our working age, older adult and forensic mental health inpatient services.
Main duties of the job
- The successful candidate/s will be expected to provide both individual and group work with patients in a face to face capacity. They will work closely with other members of the ward multi-disciplinary teams and with key members of the directorate senior management teams. Through the development of relationships and a teamworking approach, the postholder will become a key member of the teams on these wards and will be able to provide support and guidance as required.
- The successful candidate/s will also be an active participant in the development and growth of the Spiritual Support Team, using initiative and innovation to drive forward practice in this vitally important area, alongside the other team members.
We think that this could be a really exciting opportunity for someone of any belief background to come in and help drive and embed pastoral, spiritual, and religious awareness and support within these services, providing staff with the confidence and tools to make this part of the clinical assessment and treatment process.
Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It’s why we’re passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
- Delivering front line Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care for service users, carers and members of staff. This will take place at a variety of sites and in the community.
Please refer to the Job Description attached for more detailed information about the main duties and role responsibilities.
Person specification
Training, Qualifications and Registration
Essential criteria
- Accreditation/licensing/good standing with a faith or belief body to practice as a world religion or belief leader/representative and/or pastoral worker
- Accredited training/qualification (normally at degree level or higher) in theology, belief, pastoral care or other relevant discipline.
Desirable criteria
- Further counselling skills
- Further training related to mental health, addiction or criminal justice services
- Registration with UKBHC and/or CHCC
Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial previous pastoral experience in a mental health, addictions or criminal justice contexts
- Experience working with healthcare, social care or criminal justice professionals.
- Experience working with carers.
- Able to provide high quality pastoral and spiritual care to service users of any religious or belief organisation
Desirable criteria
- Experience in service development, quality improvement or audit
- Experience providing training to others
- Experience providing supervision to others
- Experience overseeing or supporting volunteers
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- A knowledge and understanding of mental health conditions and mental health inpatient services
- A knowledge and understanding of risk and risk management within mental health services
- Understanding of key concepts such as spirituality, spiritual care and holistic health care needs within a psychiatric context
- An appreciation and respect for all belief organisations and accompanying cultural values with an ability to relate this knowledge to practice
- Grounding in theology/belief and/or pastoral care
- Excellent communication skills and ability to develop strong and effective working relationships with other teams and individuals
- Ability to communicate and work with those experiencing mental and emotional distress
- Ability to be empathetic with others and to reflect upon own practice and experience
- To possess emotional resilience to deal with emotionally distressed service users
- Committed to arranging the provision of religious rites and rituals in a timely manner upon request
- There is some to travel to other sites in the Trust. It is unlikely that public transport will meet this need
- Proficient with the use of IT including outlook, word, Microsoft teams and excel
- Strong organisational skills and good timekeeping
- Ability to prioritise and manage own workload effectively
- Able to maintain a non-judgmental and pastorally sensitive stance in all situations
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Revd David Stedman
- Job title
- Pastoral, Spiritual, and Religious Care Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07436902763
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