Kinship Family Support Worker

Kinship Family Support Worker 

As part of team expansion, an opportunity has arisen for a Kinship Family Support Worker to join the Kinship Team which is part of the Family Placement Service at Northumberland County Council.
 

The Kinship Team strives to support children remaining in their family network. We recognise the positive impact that placing children in Kinship care can have on their overall wellbeing and outcomes. As a Kinship Family Support Worker you will offer both general and targeted support to kinship carers. This will include, but is not limited to, delivering bespoke training and intervention to Kinship Carers, attendance at Coffee Mornings (Support Groups), facilitating our half term Kinship Community Events, as well as targeted pieces of work to support individual kinship carers to manage when challenges arise. 

This is a new and exciting opportunity to be part of the development of Northumberland’s Kinship support offer and will include direct work with both kinship carers and the children in their care, such as family interventions that promote attachment, strengthen stability and avoid family breakdowns. 

We would welcome applications from those who are passionate about Kinship care. Please feel free to contact Team Manager, Eleanor Tamhne, for an informal discussion about the role on 01670 626262 or eleanor.tamhne@northumberland.gov.uk. 

We are offering:  

• A competitive salary starting at £30,559 to £33,366 with a wide range of additional benefits 
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (or other pension scheme)
• A wide range of staff benefits including a competitive annual leave provision
• Regular supervision 
• A supportive environment 
• A wide variety of training opportunities 
• A generous remuneration package
• Induction, support and mentoring from day one in post
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

Essential requirements:  

• You will have excellent communication skills and be able to convey complex messages in a straightforward way, both verbally and in writing.  

• You will not be afraid to think creatively to solve problems.  
• You will be empathetic and sensitive to the needs of children, young people and families. 
• You will always want to hear the young person's voice and ensure that this is taken into account.
• You will be passionate about maximising a child’s life chances to improve their overall outcomes
• You will be able to contribute to the development of the service.
• You will understand the need to maintain confidentiality
• You will have the ability to maintain accurate records of interventions
• You will be able to work on your own initiative as well as part of a team.

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 or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to attend an interview, please also let the team know. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.  

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.