Family Support Worker - Dedicated Schools Team

About Us

At West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce and are committed to improving our services for children and families in West Sussex. You will join us at a key time in our improvement journey, while we focus on delivering flawless family support and driving forward our 'Children First' improvement plan.

The Early Help Service is an integral part of the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate. We work with children, families, and young people to help ensure that every child is supported to achieve his or her potential. Working collaboratively with social care so that all children and families are accessing the right help and protection from the most appropriate part of children's services.

Early help ensures that children and families receive accessible and co-ordinated support when they need it. This support ranges across a continuum from universal preventative approaches through to more targeted help where families are experiencing more complex or multiple difficulties. At every level support is designed to address and reduce the problems or challenges and prevent them getting worse.

The Opportunity

• Salary: £28,624 to £31,067 per annum.
• Working Pattern: Full-time
• Contract: Permanent
• Location: Based in the Mid-Sussex area, Haywards Heath

You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

As a Family Support Worker for the Dedicated Schools' Team, you will manage a caseload of schools who you will work with to identify children, young people and families who may require support, at the earliest opportunity. You will work hard to build trusting relationships with your schools, getting to know their specific needs and challenges, and being flexible and creative in the support you offer them to support their school community. You will need to use your initiative and be proactive in your approach. Some experience of working in a school environment would be beneficial.

Alongside this you will also have a caseload of families you work with. You will be assessing the needs of children, young people, and families to access, coordinate and deliver the support they need. You will work to improve their outcomes and lived experience, helping prevent their difficulties from becoming irreversible.

Key to this role is delivering direct work and interventions through our Whole Family Approach process tailored around a range of issues that children, young people, and their families may experience. Through this way of working, you will help to keep children safe whilst supporting and sustaining positive change for them and their families.

You will need strong skills in partnership working to develop and maintain effective relationships with parents, families, and partners such as Education, Health, Police and Children's Social Care, to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

We are looking for someone with experience of working with children, young people and/or families, who has emotional resilience and a passion for supporting a diverse range of people in our communities.

You will have NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification, demonstrating that level of ability in working with children / young people and families or relevant experience. Relevant organisational knowledge of systems, procedures and policies associated with operating a client focused service.

You'll need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport and must have access to your own vehicle. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check. Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve.