Senior Support Worker

Working alongside children and families as a Senior Support Worker, you will help them recognise the small steps of progress they make and how they have achieved that themselves. Your work will help families get to the point where they are able to do things by themselves, without the need for professional support. What you will be doing:

• Carrying out whole family assessments, you will provide advice and guidance to families, establishing plans where appropriate. You'll ensure that our services are effective and supportive for families with children/young people aged 5-18 predominately.
• It will be your responsibility to review and monitor Early Help plans, responding to the changing of needs and renegotiating where appropriate in accordance with safeguarding procedures.
• It is expected that you will provide support and mentoring to support workers, including those who are new to the team and those who are need of some support in a specific area of practice. You may be required to contribute to or lead on an area of specialism within the team or across the wider preventative services.
• Regularly, you will liaise and work with contacts from different sectors, ensuring that communication is effective, so knowledge and best practice is shared., This role is 37 hours per week, working Monday to Friday.
• The salary will be pro rata according to hours worked.
• You will be required to travel widely within the authority so you must either have a current driving license and provide a car or have access to appropriate means of travel.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.
  
  It is essential you hold or be working towards a professional qualification e.g. degree, NVQ 4 or equivalent.
• You will have a willingness and ability to communicate and engage with a wide range of people, on occasions this will require you to take time and be patient.
• Given the nature of the role, you must be empathetic and have a good sense of judgement, knowing when and how to support, empower, listen, challenge or even step back.
• You must be resilient despite knockbacks and frustrations, given the complexity of working with families and the level of emotions that can be displayed.
  
  We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
• What's special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with.
Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here. We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference. We're making a difference, be part of it!