Position Title
Quality of Life Parent Outreach Volunteer
Issue Date
3/13/19
Objective
A parent adviser position that supports newly bereaved families by making monthly contact via phone, text, and email to offer condolences, provide information about St. Jude resources for bereaved families, and check on the parent’s current needs.
Hours
Stay in Touch advisers should reach out to assigned bereaved parents monthly for 4 months, beginning one month from the death of the child. Time required varies depending on the number of bereaved parents the volunteer chooses to contact per month and the number of parents who respond to the contacts. A successful contact and documentation may take between 10-45 minutes.
Qualifications
- Adult parent or caregiver of a deceased St. Jude patient
- Must be at least two years from the anniversary of their child’s death
- Successfully complete application and onboarding with PFCC
- Commitment of at least 1 year of service at the discretion of the bereavement coordinator and PFCC manager
- Basic understanding and access to email, text, and a cellphone
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Good organizational skills
Training
- Complete PFCC onboarding
- Read Stay in Touch Training Manual
- Phone call with Lisa Clark to review manual, program, and program procedures
- Complete phone call with designated program parent to learn what to expect from interactions and learn tips
Competencies
- An independent work initiative
- Exceptional verbal, written and interpersonal skills necessary for communication with parents, bereavement coordinator, and documentation of encounter forms
- Ability to relate to and work with people of diverse ages and demographic backgrounds
- A sound understanding of the concepts of Family Centered Care
- Demonstrates skills of organization, problem-solving, negotiation, active listening, empathy, and compassion
- Flexible and adaptable in unique and challenging situations
- A general understanding of signs of complicated grief
- Ability to maintain healthy boundaries
Responsibilities
- Serve as a liaison between the St. Jude bereavement program and bereaved parents
- Record all volunteer hours and complete encounter forms for all contacts or attempted contacts
- Complete documentation and reporting expectations within 48 hours of encounter.
- Make monthly telephone calls to newly bereaved parents
- Follow and function within the St. Jude professional boundary policy in establishing relationships
- Immediately notify appropriate parties when a crisis or potential-crisis situation is identified
- Participate in ongoing training events and periodic self-review
- Respect and protect the confidentiality of patients, family members and employees at all times and in all circumstances