Job Information
This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about improving the lives of children and families at the earliest stage to join a dynamic, skilled team within Northumberland's Family Hubs.
We are looking to recruit a full-time Family Help Worker for families with children and young people aged 0-19 (25 with SEND), with a clear commitment to working inclusively with dads and male carers.
The role is based in the West Locality and will involve working in and around Hexham, Prudhoe, Ponteland, Haltwhistle and Bellingham.
We are looking for suitably qualified, responsible, and experienced self-motivated applicants, with excellent organisational, written and verbal communication skills. Whilst you will enjoy working as part of a team, you will also be able to work autonomously, make decisions and are able to manage and lead others.
In this full-time role, you will use the Signs of Safety approach with a caseload of families, often with complex issues. You will carry out Early Help Assessments using a whole family approach and provide intervention including direct work with children and young people to gather their views. You will support the family and network as the lead professional by chairing team around the family meetings and agreeing a clear plan to be followed and reviewed against positive progress.
There is an expectation for you to keep clear, concise records and be able to work to set time scales. Therefore, you will need to be highly organised and able to write effectively. You will need excellent time management skills to hold a busy diary and be able to adapt to unexpected situations in a calm and professional manner. In your case work, you will be responsible for supporting staff to follow NCC’s safeguarding procedures and liaising with social workers to discuss cases and escalate concerns if needed.
You will be required to be aware of and keep up to date with Family Hub services and intervention programmes across the age range and to work effectively alongside our partner agencies to achieve the best outcomes for children and families.
We provide a full induction programme, regular supervision, case management and opportunities for continuous professional development. As we are committed to keeping children and young people safe, we will apply for full DBS checks. We are offering:
Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (or other pension scheme)
A wide range of staff benefits including a competitive annual leave provision
Flexible working arrangements
Base for mileage and office facilities
West Locality
Based at Dene Park House, Hexham, for mileage, with travel expected to families anywhere within Northumberland's West Locality (see above) and occasionally beyond.
Essential requirements:
Minimum NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in childcare or related discipline
Knowledge of mental health, substance misuse, domestic violence and poverty and how these impact on families
Understanding of whole family approach, solution focussed practice and crisis intervention. Understanding of safeguarding
Knowledge of impact of multiple disadvantage
Knowledge of partner agencies and their role in supporting families
Knowledge of IT systems
Knowledge of child development and child protection issues
Knowledge of parenting work
For further information, or informal discussion, please contact:- Lesley Lovell 07826873390 lesley.lovell@northumberland.gov.uk
Katy Carr 07989168557 katy.carr@northumberland.gov.uk
https://www.familyhubsnorthumberland.co.uk
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Further information
For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Alternative application format: British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930
Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.
