Family Support Practitioner in Slough

If you believe in the importance and value of early help, practical family support and relationship-based, trauma-informed practice, then this is an exciting opportunity for you.

The Family Support Practitioner provides timely and flexible early help and family support to children, young people and parents/carers. They work in partnership with families and engage informal and formal support networks in their communities to ensure lasting positive outcomes. They encourage resilience to enable families to build strong relationships and strategies to deal confidently with the ups and downs of parenting and family life.

Day to day, you will provide direct family support through a range of means including face to face in the family home, in community venues and online. You will be responsible for a caseload of families with a range of needs from the practical to the complex. You’ll collaborate with families and partners to agree on where they need help, completing family friendly assessments and plans that look holistically at family needs and aims. Your support will strengthen family resilience, reduce family stressors and improve family outcomes.

Bright Start 0-5 offers help to families with children aged 0-5 years old. Early intervention and prevention is at the heart of our work. This role is part of a locality team which delivers flexible help to any family needing advice or support. The teams offer longer term support when needed to assist families with multiple complex needs to cope with stress and build resilience. The aim is to enable children and families to reach their full potential and to support our local communities.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates to ensure we have a diverse workforce which is representative of the local community.

Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn’t be clearer: we serve. It’s in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Together we can change the future.

We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive. To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out ‘CARE’, which is what we think public service is all about.

Our staff benefits include:

• Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service
• A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as a 35-hour working week
• Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential
• Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships
• Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable workforce, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our workforce strategy places equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion.

We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel they belong and can safely express their thoughts, ideas, and challenges, without fear of judgement or discrimination. We maintain a zero-tolerance approach to any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the grounds of any protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act.

We know that advancing diversity and inclusion is a continuous journey, and we must listen to our colleagues and learn where we can further improve. Every one of us has a role to play in making Islington Council a truly inclusive workplace. By living out our CARE values every day and embedding the principles of equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work, we can all actively contribute to empowering people and creating a more equal Islington.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Only candidates with recent experience in child and family work with case holding responsibilities will be shortlisted at this time. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check with children/adult barred list, qualifications check and 5 years referencing.

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.