Senior Family Practitioner - Family Help South in London

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities! We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

We are looking for experienced, skilled and committed practitioners to join our Family Help Service as Senior Family Practitioners. This is an exciting opportunity to join a service that works alongside children, young people and families to provide the right help at the right time. We are looking for practitioners who are confident, reflective and relationship-based in their practice, and who can work effectively with children and families experiencing a range of needs and challenges within a statutory framework.

You will bring strong experience of direct work with children and families, a good understanding of safeguarding and child development, and the ability to work purposefully with families to support change and improve outcomes. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who are confident in balancing direct work with families, quality assessment, and multi-agency coordination, and who want to play an active role in delivering high-quality Family Help services within a changing and ambitious practice model.

As a Senior Family Practitioner in the Family Help Service, you will work alongside social workers and other professionals to provide high-quality support, intervention and assessment for children and families receiving statutory services. You will be expected to case hold within the Family Help (Child in Need) framework and work directly with children and families. You will be expected to undertake assessments, deliver targeted interventions, contribute to multi-agency planning, and ensure that children’s needs, safety and lived experience remain central to all work.

You will build effective relationships with children, parents and carers, undertake direct work that supports change, and contribute to robust planning where there are concerns about vulnerability, neglect, safeguarding, family functioning or wider risks affecting children’s welfare. You will also work closely with partner agencies, attend and contribute to professional meetings, and maintain clear, accurate and high-quality case recording and reports.

What’s in it for you? Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance
• Local Government Pension scheme
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Season ticket and bicycle loans
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
• Supportive staff networks

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience of working directly with children, young people and families in a statutory, social care or closely related family support setting
• Experience of undertaking assessments and delivering targeted interventions that lead to meaningful change
• Good knowledge of relevant legislation, policy and guidance relating to children’s social care and safeguarding
• Knowledge of the range of universal services used by children, young people and families, and the ability to work effectively alongside them
• Ability to identify, assess and respond appropriately to risk and need
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with children, families and professionals
• Ability to produce clear, analytical and high-quality case records, reports and professional correspondence
• Confidence in working within multi-agency networks and contributing to planning and review meetings
• A reflective, organised and resilient approach to practice
• Commitment to equality, anti-racist practice, and improving outcomes for children and families

The job is primarily based in Laurence House, Catford, London, SE6 4RU. There are 2 local train stations 3-5 minutes’ walk from the office, and the train journey from London Bridge is approximately 15 minutes. There are also numerous bus routes that stop right by the office. We operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check. The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CVs. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

Diversity Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident 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.