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SalaryYou will provide children, young people and families with the right service at the right time. Put simply, you will change lives for the better.
We have some exciting opportunities for a Family Worker to join our Family Safeguarding Teams. If you are looking for a friendly, creative and dynamic working culture that supports and enables social work and other professionals to make a real difference for the most vulnerable then we would welcome an application from you.
Bracknell Forest Council is the local authority of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority; The council office is in the heart of the vibrant town centre. Our borough offers great transport links with the M4, M3, M25 and the South Western Railway is local to us, so you can travel to work with ease, with free parking. We also offer a hybrid working arrangements, with time balanced between the office and home.
Bracknell Forest Council have a nationally recognised practice model – the ‘Family Safeguarding Model’. The recent Ofsted inspection stated “Social workers receive regular, purposeful multi-agency group supervision which is facilitated through the service’s chosen social work model. The sharing of findings and views for each worker provides a detailed understanding of the family situation, progress and what the barriers are that stop families making the required changes. This evaluation informs future case work and intervention”- June 2022
Favouring a relational approach in all that we do, over 80% of our workforce are permanent employees, caseloads are manageable and caring for ‘you and your family’ is a priority for the Council.
Working collaboratively with families to keep them together, where it is safe to do so, is at the heart of the embedded Family Safeguarding Model and our approach is underpinned by Motivational Interviewing (MI). This ensures families, children and young people feel empowered and enables parents to make the positive changes needed, to achieve improved outcomes for their children and their own wellbeing. Therefore, parents are motivated to identify the changes needed within their own families which results in them achieving better outcomes for children.
What it’s like working in our team…
We know that working with children and families, whilst rewarding, is not always easy. To support high quality consistent work, you will have access to a comprehensive learning and development offer, driven by our passionate Principal Social Worker. You will be part of resilience groups, well-being days and events, group supervision as well as peer support.
We are graded by Ofsted as “Outstanding”.
“they have continued to ensure the delivery of high-quality social work practice that has a positive impact on children’s experiences”.
Overall, Inspectors found that Social Workers and other frontline practitioners benefit from manageable caseloads, good training and powerful and highly reflective supervision that ensures children are at the heart of decision making.
If you join our teams of qualified Social Workers and Family Workers, you will also be supported by Specialist Workers in domestic abuse, mental health and substance misuse, meaning no lengthy waits for much needed services for our families. It is all here, accessible and underpinning the planning and work being delivered to mitigate against risks, build resilience in families and enable families to meet their own children’s needs more effectively. Access to family group conferences and mediation work with families is additionally available and supports all involved, to secure decisions and outcomes in children’s best interests.
We have a good early help offer and work in collaboration with statutory partners and voluntary agencies in the community. Supporting families to access these services and support is also part of our daily morale purpose to enable families to secure safety and confidence in their own abilities to look after their children.
Our workforce tells us:
- There is a supportive and approachable leadership and management team.
- All teams offer each other good peer support; there is a strong focus on shared problem solving.
- They feel appreciated and their development is prioritised.
- Supervision is of high quality, reflective and routinely provided.
As we continue our Covid recovery journey, our main priority is to provide our workers with a secure physical and psychological base from which to work safely and effectively.
You will be supported to carry out the following duties, responsibilities and training…
- You will support the provision of services to children and families, including parenting programmes and interventions.
- You will support, arrange, and supervise Family Time between children looked after and their families.
- You will work alongside other professionals and Adult Workers as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- You will manage a caseload of children in need who have not been subject to child protection enquiries.
- You will take part in the team duty system to support Social Workers on time critical work.
- You will make effective use of time and be able to prioritise workload, ensuring timeliness in visiting, report writing and other deadlines
- With your Supervisor, you will be able to set clear goals and strategies as part of individual and group case supervision.
- You will contribute to service development and learning of others.
The roles we have available are challenging and interesting and will enable you to continually develop your skills and knowledge, as well as contribute to the ongoing improvement of the services and support we deliver.
The benefits you will experience are…
- An inclusive and social working environment.
- Flexible working opportunities including a flexi-time scheme.
- Generous annual leave entitlement.
- Regular opportunities for development with internal and external training courses.
- A great office location next to travel links and the regenerated town centre.
- Internal sports and social club opportunities.
- Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
- Supermarket discount.
- An interest free loan for a rail season ticket.
What we’re looking for…
The children and young people we work with have told us they want workers to:
- Be friendly, fun and energetic;
- Listen respectfully, take action and stick to deadlines;
- Keep promises, be accessible and on time
You will therefore be talented, passionate and reliable. You will share our commitment to better outcomes for children and be organised and skilled in the effective engagement of families.
You will have an understanding of child safeguarding, life journey and key child milestones. You will also have an in-depth knowledge of what works for children and families, and be keen to learn and develop within your role.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on 16th February 2024.
Want to ask us a question?
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role. Please contact:
Name: Cheryl Perry
Job Title: Team Manager
Phone Number: 01344 351796
Email: cheryl.perry@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Bracknell Forest Council is recognised as a Disability Confident Employer, working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let us know if you need any adjustments at any point during the recruitment process.
As part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to redeployment, please note that we reserve the right to close the advert before the closing date if a suitable redeployee is identified.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Any candidates that are currently residing in the UK and wishing to apply who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant criteria.
No agencies please.
Equal Opportunities
Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.
How to apply
Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.
