Specialist Children and Families Worker

Specialist Children and Families Worker

Permanent, Full Time

£29,741 to £34,001 per annum

Location: Basildon

Family Solutions is an Early Help service in Essex working holistically with disadvantaged families, with multiple difficulties to enable them to make significant changes and improvements to their lives. Family Solutions works under the umbrella of children's social care and was described as "exceptional" by OFSTED in their recent inspection which judged children's social care as "outstanding".

An exciting permanent opportunity has arisen in the highly performing South team. The team is based in Basildon, but covers the district council areas of Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford. The successful candidate will need to travel independently across this area by car.

The work of a Link Family Worker is complex, sometimes challenging, but always varied and rewarding. Key aspects of the work include:

• Working closely with families to build strong relationships with all family members.
• Promoting positive change with families.
• Provide both practical and specialist advice as well acting as a lead coordinator for additional support services where appropriate.
• Managing your own caseload
• Managing safeguarding risks to children
• Taking the lead on an area of professional practice for the team through supporting team members, and liaising with professionals outside of Family Solutions
• The post holder will be expected to operate flexibly, working out of normal office hours when required to best meet the needs of the family.
• Responsible for determining the direction and actions required in order to progress cases forward on a day-to-day basis; recognising when key decisions regarding risks/concerns need to be referred to the Team Manager or Practice Supervisor.
• Responsible for acting as a source of advice, guidance and support to colleagues in relation to the thematic role held in order to support case discussions and mentor and guide colleagues.
• Responsible for undertaking holistic assessments of family needs to help create intervention plans and identify how outcomes can be achieved that fully reflect the family and young person's views and aspirations; delivering interventions, including group work programs, to support families to make change.
• Responsible for facilitating complex family meetings, managing the potentially competing views of families and professionals, in order to find achievable solutions.
• Responsible for undertaking individual and group programmes of work to enable Children and Families to develop their skills to resolve issues and problems themselves; providing information and accompanying families to help access other local services.
• Responsible for providing specific practical, personal, and emotional support to families in their homes or other settings as part of an agreed plan in order to achieve agreed and sustainable family outcomes.
• Responsible for actively participating in regular supervision in order to review work and ensure effective interventions for families.
• Responsible for ensuring that the principles of effective practice are fully embedded in service delivery; working collaboratively with staff and partners to ensure effective risk management in line with the thresholds of the Effective Support and Guidance document to ensure that the Family Solutions team understands and follows the SET child protection procedures.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The South team is extremely supportive. The post holder will be supervised by an experienced manager or senior social worker. Family Workers will also utilise support from colleagues who have specialisms in different areas.

What you will need:

• Educated to degree level preferred but minimum NVQ level 4 or equivalent by experience in relevant thematic specialism i.e., Domestic Abuse, Substance Misuse, Education, Mental Health, and Parenting.
• Evidence of continuing professional development with good knowledge in relevant professional area and commitment to the principles of evidence-based practice.
• Significant practical experience of working with families with multiple and complex needs.
• Effective communication skills, good problem solving and assessment skills with a demonstrable track record of building and sustaining positive professional relationships with individuals and Families with multiple and complex needs.
• Experience of applying a solution focused approach and providing practical advice and support to families to enable them to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.
• Ability to work in partnership with others to maximise outcomes for families in line with the Family Solutions operating principles.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and to use supervision appropriately.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.