Play Specialist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Posted
- 16/09/2026
- Closes
- 23/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role involves working as a Band 4 Play Specialist to reduce anxiety and stress in children undergoing medical treatments or hospitalisation through therapeutic play. The specialist will use age-appropriate activities to distract children from pain, promote their development, and prepare them for procedures. They will also help children express emotions and provide support to families during stressful times.
Key responsibilities
- Reducing Anxiety and Stress: Help children express feelings and alleviate fear related to medical treatments or hospitalisation.
- Distraction and Comfort: Engage children in play during medical procedures to distract from pain or discomfort.
- Promoting Development: Provide age-appropriate activities to encourage cognitive, emotional, and physical development in hospital environments.
- Education and Preparation: Prepare children for medical treatments using dolls, toys, or drawings to explain procedures.
- Emotional Expression: Use therapeutic play to allow children to process and express feelings like fear, anger, or confusion.
- Family Support: Offer guidance and support to parents and caregivers to help them understand and support their child's emotional needs.
Essential criteria
- Level Four Diploma in specialized play for sick children and Young peoplee/EDEXCEL Cert in hospital play specialism/HPSC/HPSEB Or Foundation degree in health care play specialism.
- GCSE or equivalent in Maths and English.
- Experience supporting children, in stressful situations in any setting.
- Experience working in Play Worker/Specialist role.
- Good communication with children/families
- Empathetic to the effects of hospitalisation on the family unit.
- Full understanding of therapeutic play with the ability to use play specialist techniques to enhance the care of children.
Desirable criteria
- Has previous experience as a play specialist in Hospital/Hospice setting.
- Familiar with EPIC system.
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 4 at £26,530 – £29,114 a year, across England.
This advert: £23,849 – £26,172 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 7d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Play Specialist
The closing date is 23 September 2026
Job summary
We are looking to recruit a Band 4 Play Specialist. The key components of this role will be :* Reducing Anxiety and Stress: Through play, they help children express their feelings, understand their experiences, and alleviate fear or anxiety related to medical treatments or hospitalisation* Distraction and Comfort: During medical procedures, they engage children in play or activities that distract them from pain or discomfort, making the experience less frightening.* Promoting Development: Play specialists provide age-appropriate activities to encourage cognitive, emotional, and physical development, even in hospital environments.* Education and Preparation: They prepare children for medical treatments by using dolls, toys, or drawings to explain what's going to happen in a way the child can understand. This helps demystify the process and reduces fear.* Emotional Expression: Play is a natural way for children to express their emotions. Play specialists use therapeutic play to allow children to process and express feelings like fear, anger, or confusion.* Family Support: They also offer guidance and support to parents and caregivers, helping them understand their child's emotional needs and providing strategies to support their child during stressful times.
Mai
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