Family Support Hub Access Officer in London

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

Silkstream Children’s Centre, Barnet

Are you passionate about supporting babies, young children and their families to thrive? We are looking for a welcoming, organised and proactive Family Support Access Officer to join our dedicated team at Silkstream Children’s Centre. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering Barnet's Best Start in Life offer, supporting families with children under five and ensuring they can easily access the services, advice and support they need. As the first point of contact for many families, you will help create a positive and inclusive experience while contributing to improved outcomes for children across the local community.

About The Role

As a Family Support Access Officer, you will provide a warm and professional front-of-house service for families accessing Children's Centre and Family Hub services. You will support the smooth day-to-day running of the Centre, provide high-quality administrative support, and work closely with practitioners and partners to help identify families who may benefit from additional support.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing a welcoming and efficient reception service for families and visitors.
• Supporting the delivery of Children's Centre and Best Start in Life services across the locality.
• Managing enquiries by telephone, email and face-to-face.
• Maintaining accurate records and data on the Early Help Module (EHM).
• Supporting the identification and registration of families with children under five.
• Promoting funded early education opportunities, including the two-year-old entitlement.
• Providing administrative support to the Business Manager and wider team.
• Assisting with financial administration, including processing invoices.
• Coordinating room bookings and supporting building and site management processes.
• Working closely with outreach practitioners, Family Hub teams, health services and voluntary sector partners.
• Signposting and referring families to appropriate support services when needed.
• Supporting safeguarding, health and safety and service quality requirements.

About You

We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic about working with children and families and who enjoys building positive relationships with a wide range of people. You will be:

• Educated to Level 3, A-Level or equivalent by experience.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Strong organisational and administrative abilities.
• Experience of working with children, young people or families in a paid or voluntary capacity.
• An understanding of safeguarding and child protection responsibilities.
• Experience of working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Good IT skills and experience of maintaining accurate records and databases.
• The ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.

Most importantly, you will be passionate about helping families access the right support at the right time and committed to improving outcomes for children.

What We Offer

• 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents.
• A comprehensive Flexible Working Policy which supports work-life balance by empowering staff and management to make decisions around when, where, and how work is done.
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more.
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership.
• Excellent training and development opportunities.
• Employee well-being training programs including confidential employee assistance.

Proposed Interview Date: Week commencing 30th November. Please note that interview dates are provisional and may be subject to change. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so early submission is encouraged.

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening.

To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process.

All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of four months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.