Charlene Kent is a Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinator at NHS Humber Health Partnership. Over the past eight years, she has helped hundreds of young people through successful treatment and at the end of life.
“I love and I’m so proud to be a youth worker. I’m proud to do the role that I do in a hospital setting. It is very challenging, but it’s equally rewarding, and you meet just the most incredible people.
“I am the only youth worker in the trust, so there is a lot to do. When I first arrived, medical staff weren’t entirely sure where my role would sit alongside them, but now we are a really strong team. They fight the cancer; I fight for the whole young person. My role is so open ended as I am led by the young people. I can hold a hand while a procedure is being done, and I can just sit quietly and reflect with them.
Charlene Kent,
NHS Humber Health Partnership
They are a young person first and foremost before anything
“When we talk about a young person with cancer, we recognise the trauma of the condition, but I don’t think we do always appreciate that they are facing multiple other issues, as any other teenager would in the world outside of hospital. They don’t all have a wonderful, loving family around them or a stable life, or even suitable accommodation to go home to. Their lives are often complicated. That factors in every single second of my work. They are a young person first and foremost before anything.
“We work with people from all walks of life, and they don’t always have people there to help them in the hardest and darkest times. I helped one young woman plan her own funeral. We sat in hospital with the funeral director and we worked out something that would truly represent her memory. That moment will stay with me forever I think, making that happen. The funeral director was amazing. She was absolutely wonderful, and we made it as comfortable for that young person as possible to make those big decisions. From being dressed in Crocs and pyjamas to a risqué flower arrangement that matched her personality. We also raised funds so she could write a will, so that her wishes would be respected.
“Often people still need us after the cancer has gone, so I work with them for up to two years after. I want them to enjoy life, without needing me as a crutch, but in the aftermath of cancer, when the bell is rung and there are no more appointments and blood tests and scans, the anxiety and psychological trauma can linger. It might be helping them deal with the change as their hair grows back, or coping after an amputation. It might also just be helping them understand that they can go and live life now, and achieve all the things they wanted to achieve – and sometimes even helping them work out what their new goals are.
“What’s unique about this role is that I can respond to need. Being able to be quite creative in what we do and being professionally curious is the cornerstone of being a youth worker. I’m hoping that change is afoot and that youth work is recognised and valued more as a profession.”
Teenage Cancer Trust and youth work within the NHS
Youth Support Coordinators are youth workers funded by Teenage Cancer Trust to work within the NHS across the UK. There are currently around 35 of these roles working within NHS trusts, or outreach across networks. Teenage Cancer Trust have spent decades pioneering youth work within the NHS in line with the growing specialism of Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer.
