Family Support Worker - Various Locations

As a Family Support Worker at Buckinghamshire Council, you will ensure the highest standards of support is provided to the children and families of Buckinghamshire. You will:

• Work directly with children young people and their families as part of a team alongside other professionals managing a caseload, delivering direct work, creating supportive professional networks and identifying and reducing safeguarding concerns through a 'whole family' approach and by putting the child at the heart of everything we do.
• Take part in duty cover on a duty rota alongside Social Workers and Managers
• Make relevant referrals and signposting for children and families under current statutory guidelines.
• Jointly work cases where there is a higher level of need with a Social Worker who will act as the lead practitioner. Support the Social Worker with their assessments and information gathering and attend all relevant meetings as invited by the Social Worker, as well as alongside visits to children and their families
• Attend, coordinate and chair team around the child meetings with fellow agency partners.
• Keep accurate records in accordance with current time frames.
• Be required from time to time to transport children and families within your own vehicle
  
  We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home., You should have a good understanding of safeguarding and have previous experience of working with children and families.
• You should be able to demonstrate empathy and understanding, be a good listener, and be able to challenge in a supportive manner when need arises.
• You will have the ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations
• You should be resilient and tenacious and able to make sure the child's voice is heard above all others.
• You will be a good team player and able to work collaboratively with a number of different agencies.
• You should feel comfortable assessing, identifying and carrying out the work needed to support the child and family for better outcomes
• You should be able to engage children and families, encourage and empower them to be able to make/ maintain positive change by drawing on your own skill set and ability to persuade and build trusting relationships.
• You will have good communication and written skills and will be able to record and interpret confidential data. You should feel comfortable chairing network meetings and collating and writing reports and distributing minutes of meetings in a timely manner
• You will be able to manage timescales and have the ability to prioritise.
• You should be flexible in order to work in a sometimes fast paced environment.
• You will be able to uphold confidentiality and the service standards of Buckinghamshire Council
  
  Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.
Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected- only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement., We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are - Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy. By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:
• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events
At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that's why we're working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation. From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it's important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments. We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.About the Business Unit Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes - particularly for our children and young people. Children's Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together. We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county. We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues. No matter what role you take on in our Children's services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:
• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).
For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled 'Exceptions Order')., Hard work and success deserves recognition. That's why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.