Family Support Worker - Thames Valley

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.

We are looking to appoint a Family Support Worker to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our Thames Valley Care Team. Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the Thames Valley Care Team and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social and practical support to families where a child/young person has a life threatening or terminal illness.

Having worked in a stressful and emotional environment you have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and helping people; and having provided bereavement support to families, you understand processes of grief, loss and change - and how best to help others deal with its impact.

This role covers Thames Valley and surrounding areas. The role does require travel; however you have the freedom to plan your own diary around the demands of both the families you are working with, your team, and also any personal appointments you may need to attend.

• An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have worked in a community environment and those with a recognised qualification in education, health or social care.
• A warm, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly.
• Practiced in child protection, information sharing and the rules around data protection - you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines.
• Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident user of IT (including MSOffice).
• A persuasive and open communicator - you will work collaboratively with your team and volunteers to ensure delivery of a high-quality service and support fundraising colleagues by writing case studies and family updates.
• A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people and their families – aware that being responsive to others needs and concerns, is essential.

We are a Best Companies Two-Star rated organisation, an outstanding place to work! We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, including:

• Flexible working hours to balance home and working life.
• Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand.
• Company car for front line care posts.
• 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time).
• Time off in lieu.
• Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts.
• Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes.
• A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme.
• Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year.
• Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%.
• The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping.
• Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth.

If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, click here. More information can also be found in our Candidate Pack.

As part of our learning and development Anne Harris skills development programme, we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be their best and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Teams are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, introduction to play. The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.

Please complete an application form and send it to recruitment@rainbowtrust.org.uk. Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application. Interviews will take place at our Thames Valley Care Team office with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.

There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.

Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment. Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.