Family Support Worker

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Job Title: Family Support Worker
• Job Location: Shire Hall, The Link, 2nd Floor
• Salary: £30,825 - £33,945 per annum
• Hours per Week: 37.00
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 31/03/2024
• Job Requisition Number: 8324
• This post is open to job share

We have a rare and exciting opportunity in our Fostering Support Team 3 for a Fostering Support Worker to join us on a permanent basis.

We are looking for a self-motivated, organised and flexible Support Worker who will be responsible for direct work with children in care and supporting Gloucestershire’s fostering households, enabling them to provide therapeutic and nurturing care to Gloucestershire's children in care. Our team works with foster carers and children in care throughout the whole of Gloucestershire so you could be asked to provide support anywhere in the county, or further afield if the carer is based outside of Gloucestershire.

Reward and support

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• £30,825 - £33,945 per annum, subject to experience
• flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
• supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• an in-house Occupational Health service
• employee discount scheme
• cycle to work scheme
• salary sacrifice green car scheme (T&Cs apply)
• links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network
• career development and qualification opportunities
• access to our Social Work Academy

Right child, right support, right time, every time

Gloucestershire’s vision is “to work together to give every child the best possible chance of a remarkable life, especially those children who need more help.”

We have ambitious improvement and transformation plans to create the optimum conditions within which our staff can make a real difference and improve outcomes for children.

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. We take a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive.

You will benefit from our commitment to delivering the best possible service to children and families, and the chance to join an experienced and dynamic team. You will be joining an authority with a strong set of values that underpins the work we do: Accountability, Empowerment, Excellence, Integrity and Respect.

About the role

As a Support Worker you will provide vital direct support to children and young people in care, providing them with support identified and agreed with the social workers, children and families. In addition, you will be responsible for supporting the fostering service and foster carers to meet the fostering regulations and National Minimum Standards.

To undertake this role with us you will need:

• experience of working with children and families or foster carers in a Social Care context
• a good understanding of and interest in the needs of children and young people in foster care
• an enthusiasm to establish effective relationships with key stakeholders, inc foster carers, children and young people, birth families and colleagues/partners
• an ability to think creatively, problem solve and think on your feet
• knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the impact this can have on children at all stages of development
• a positive ‘can do’ attitude whilst being flexible and adaptable in your approach to challenges
• excellent, adaptable communication skills

A full driving licence and access to a car is essential.

The role of a Family Support Worker requires you to work flexibly and may include working evenings and weekends.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

Fostering Family Support Worker job profile

This position is subject to a DBS check.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.