Family Support Worker / Household Manager in Knutsford

Location: Knutsford, Cheshire (with occasional travel between family homes)

Employment Type: Full-time, salaried, flexible hours to meet family needs

Reporting To: Management Team (MT) and Litigation Friend/Family Representative

Salary: £40‑£50k experience depending.

Role Overview: We are seeking an experienced, highly skilled Family Support Worker to act as the primary organiser and most responsible person for a family with complex care needs. The Family Support Worker will manage all aspects of household, support, and family life, relieving the mental and practical load from the primary caregiver. This is a highly autonomous and strategic role: the Family Support Worker will manage the household and family independently, ensuring all routines, appointments, therapies, and daily activities are planned and executed to a high standard. They will train, oversee, and ensure anyone who comes into the family’s home – including support workers, cleaners, or other staff – meets the expected level of support and professionalism. The role is not fixed to standard hours, though the expected house start is around 8:00 am, with flexibility to finish later depending on family needs, appointments, or additional tasks. The focus is on what the family needs, not rigid schedules.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Household and Family Management: Act as the most responsible person for the family, overseeing all aspects of support, household management, and scheduling. Develop and maintain a weekly agenda for the family in collaboration with the MT, ensuring all health, therapy, and lifestyle requirements are met. Identify gaps or potential issues in support, household management, or family planning, and proactively resolve them. Ensure household operations run smoothly, including liaison with cleaners, gardeners, and other domestic staff.
• Direct Care and Support: Assist the father with morning routines, including getting up safely, personal hygiene, dressing, and preparing for the day. Provide ongoing support throughout the day as needed, potentially reducing or replacing the requirement for other support workers; if a support worker is needed, flag and organise for weekends and holidays. Ensure all personal care is delivered safely, respectfully, and in line with best practices, while maintaining dignity and independence where possible.
• Care Coordination and Oversight: Oversee the implementation of support plans, including medication schedules, therapy sessions, and rehabilitation exercises. Attend therapy sessions, medical appointments, and case management meetings as required to safeguard and advocate for the family members’ wellbeing. Coordinate with morning support staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals. Ensure all activities are conducted safely, respecting privacy, consent, and patient vulnerability.
• Staff Training and Oversight: Train, manage, and oversee any staff who come into the home, ensuring high standards of support, professionalism, and family support. Act as the go‑to point of accountability for all other staff, ensuring their work aligns with the family’s needs and expectations. Provide clear updates and guidance to all staff regarding tasks, routines, and responsibilities.
• Practical Family Support: Manage day‑to‑day logistics, including shopping, transportation, errands, and household administration. Organise activities for family members, including social engagements, recreational activities, and outings with grandchildren. Support the family to engage in meaningful activities that contribute to mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
• Communication and Reporting: Provide regular updates to the MT and primary caregiver on all household and support matters. Act as the central communicator, liaising between healthcare providers, therapists, and family members. Document and report concerns, observations, and progress in a professional, confidential manner.

Candidate Profile / Person Specification:

• Extensive experience in family support, support coordination, or household management within a complex care or rehabilitation setting.
• Strong organisational and strategic planning skills, able to anticipate needs and problem‑solve independently.
• Excellent communication skills, able to liaise effectively with medical professionals, therapists, and family members.
• Experience in vulnerable adult support, including understanding mental health challenges, safeguarding, and confidentiality requirements.
• Confident in making decisions autonomously while keeping the family updated.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to manage unpredictable schedules based on family needs rather than fixed hours.
• Compassionate, empathetic, and calm under pressure.
• Experience with medication management, appointment coordination, and rehabilitation planning is highly desirable.
• Able to maintain a professional boundary while providing nurturing, personalised support.
• Competent in basic financial and administrative tasks, including organising household budgets, bills, and schedules.
• Proven ability to train and supervise staff effectively, ensuring high‑quality care standards.

Key Attributes:

• Highly proactive and anticipatory; able to spot issues before they arise.
• Discreet, trustworthy, and able to maintain confidentiality.
• Resilient and able to manage high‑pressure, emotionally‑charged situations.
• Strategic thinker with a strong sense of responsibility and ownership.
• Collaborative mindset, able to work with the MT and other care professionals effectively.

Reporting / Accountability:

• Reports directly to the family MT and litigation friend (legal representative of the primary patient if not at capacity).
• The most responsible person for all family and household matters, accountable for smooth operations, support, quality, and wellbeing.
• Responsible for training, supervising, and managing all other staff in the home.
• Accountable for strategic decision‑making, including support prioritisation, activity planning, and coordination with external providers.

Working Hours:

Expected start around 8:00 am, with flexibility to finish later depending on the family’s needs, appointments, and tasks. Hours are task‑ and need‑driven, not fixed, to ensure the family’s wellbeing and smooth household operation.

Success Metrics: The Family Support Worker will be considered successful when:

• The family experiences relief from day‑to‑day mental and practical load.
• All support therapy, and household activities are well‑coordinated and executed to a high standard.
• Family members are able to engage in meaningful, enjoyable, and safe activities with minimal stress.
• All other staff are trained, supervised, and performing at a consistently high level.
• Communication is clear, proactive, and ensures everyone involved in support is informed appropriately.

Additional requirements: This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with satisfactory clearance. This post is subject to satisfactory employment checks, including providing evidence of your right to work in the UK and employment reference checks. Full driving licence, MOT certificate and business class insurance certificate MUST be provided.