Ifd Support Officer

In this role, you will be a member of a multi-agency team with responsibility for gathering information to inform decisions about the level of need for a child or young person into Children’s social care. You will provide a recommendation for the appropriate outcomes, while ensuring that practice is compliant with statutory responsibilities and that the child or young person is not at immediate risk of harm.

The work will involve regular contact with people who access or need the service who may present challenging behaviours, and/or subject matter which may be distressing, for example, dealing with vulnerable individuals and families or those with complex problems.

Just some of the things you can expect from the role:

• Communicating effectively with people accessing the service, which could include children, families, general members of the public as well as other professionals both internally and externally.
• Complete an initial review of needs, to recommend appropriate services for children and families.
• Triaging incoming requests for support across several mediums, including an email inbox.
• Maintenance of accurate records and reports to ensure highly accurate record keeping and data.
• Being a representative for the service by delivering services to those people who access or need the service, acting with integrity, professionalism, and respect on behalf of the organisation. This ensures that the needs of individuals are paramount.

To be successful in this role, you will need to:

• Analyse and interpret information to complete initial assessments of the level of need on a case-by-case basis. Also ensuring that if the level of risk for harm is high, that it is escalated accordingly.
• Work within a multi-agency setting to support the decision-making process within the function and respond sensitively and flexibly dependant on the audience of the communication.
• Be able to identify range of interventions and apply the most suitable or appropriate service for a child or family in line with their needs.
• Understand and reflect on the impact of your work and the effects it may have on the individuals you are working to support. Know when you need to escalate and seek help to ensure the needs are met.
• GCSE English and Maths (Grades 9-4 or A-C) or equivalent to demonstrate experience of operating at this level of literacy/numeracy.
• Experience of providing advice and guidance to individuals.
• Being able to work under pressure and within strict timescales.
• Experience of applying relevant legislation, policies, and procedures to individual pieces of work.
• An awareness of the policies, practices, and procedures relevant to providing support to children and families as well as the role of social care.
• Sound and accurate IT knowledge with experience of maintaining databases with clear, accurate records of all work undertaken and producing records, reports and correspondence for a variety of audiences.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

We are committed to improving our services for the children and families we support in West Sussex. In May 2023, Ofsted Inspectors praised West Sussex County Council’s Children’s Services for its ‘relentless approach to improving practice,’ giving the service an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’, with ‘good’ judgements for children in care, leadership and management. The judgements on children needing help and protection and children leaving care are they ‘require improvement to be good.’

Inspectors recognised the ‘strong, determined and cohesive leadership team’ who have made significant improvements since 2019 and their commitment and focus to make further improvements.

You will be joining our service at a time of change, bringing an exciting opportunity to influence our ways of working, utilising your skills and experience in an evolving team.

The Integrated Front Door brings together Children’s Social Care, Early Help and a multi-disciplinary team to provide an effective way to manage referrals in West Sussex. As the first point of contact with children and families, the IFD can influence their entire journeys. As a fast-moving service everyone can make a difference and we build strong relationships with a wide range of partner agencies including police, health and housing professionals who are co-located and working together to ensure the best outcomes for children, young people and families.

For further information about us and about working in Children’s Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex.

The reference number for this role is CAFHE04948.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Andrew Webber (Mash ＆ IFD Support Manager) at Andrew.Webber@westsussex.gov.uk.

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact emma.cooper@westsussex.gov.uk.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

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