Care-Experienced Specialist Worker

Join Tyre Hill House, an aspirational residential family centre providing assessment and support for parents and children who need intensive, round-the-clock support while questions about parenting capacity, child safety and sustainable care are understood. Many of the families who come to Tyre Hill will have experienced adversity, trauma, care experience, domestic abuse, mental health difficulty, substance misuse, learning needs or social isolation. Our aim is to provide assessments that are safe, fair, structured and child-centred, while also giving parents clear support, teaching and feedback. We are strengthening our multidisciplinary model around families, which includes residential family support, social work assessment, psychology, parenting and early years expertise, domestic abuse, substance misuse, and dedicated support for care-experienced parents.

Role Purpose

The Care-Experienced Specialist Worker will provide specialist support, consultation and assessment contribution for parents at Tyre Hill House who are care-experienced or who have had significant involvement with children's social care as children. The postholder will help the multidisciplinary team understand how care experience, previous loss, professional mistrust, trauma, early independence, disrupted relationships, housing insecurity, limited informal support, stigma and fear of judgement may affect parenting, engagement and capacity to use support. The role combines direct work with parents, practical support, systems navigation, advocacy-informed practice, consultation, staff support, contribution to formulation, recording and specialist input into final analysis and recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

• Care-experience assessment and support
• Contribution to parenting assessment and capacity to change
• Direct work with parents
• Contribution to the Tyre Hill model
• Safeguarding and regulatory responsibilities
• MDT and formulation responsibilities
• Recording, assessment and evidence responsibilities
• Consultation, staff support and workforce development

Person Specification

Essential experience, knowledge and skills required:

• Experience of working with care-experienced young people, care leavers, young parents, vulnerable parents or families involved with children's social care
• Strong knowledge of the needs, rights and experiences of care-experienced young people and care-experienced parents
• Understanding of the impact of care experience, trauma, stigma, loss, disrupted relationships and professional mistrust on engagement and parenting
• Understanding of children's social care, child protection, care proceedings, looked-after children or leaving care services
• Ability to support parents with systems navigation, advocacy-informed practice, practical independence and transition planning
• Ability to contribute to parenting assessment, capacity to change and sustainability analysis
• Experience of working within multi-agency or multidisciplinary settings
• Ability to provide consultation and advice to non-specialist colleagues
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly
• Strong written skills, including assessment, support planning and report contributions
• Understanding of safeguarding children and adults at risk
• Ability to work with parents who may feel scrutinised, ashamed, fearful, defensive, ambivalent or mistrustful
• Ability to adapt communication and intervention for parents with learning needs, neurodivergence or trauma histories
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory, inclusive and culturally sensitive practice
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries in an emotionally demanding residential environment
• Ability to use supervision and reflective practice appropriately
• Commitment to evidence-informed practice and continuous learning

Qualifications

Essential:

• Relevant professional qualification or demonstrable experience in social care, leaving care, youth work, family support, advocacy, housing, education, children and families, or a related field
• Safeguarding children training at an appropriate level
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to care experience, trauma, safeguarding, child protection, family support, advocacy or practical independence

Working Arrangements

We welcome applications from candidates seeking a range of working patterns and contracted hours. Applicants should indicate their preferred number of working days within their application. We are open to considering a variety of arrangements and are keen to build a team with complementary skills, experience and availability. The final mix of appointments and contracted hours will be determined following recruitment and agreed in line with service requirements and the approved staffing budget.

Next Steps

For further information, please contact Julie Elias for a full job description. To apply, please send your CV and accompanying letter outlining how you meet the requirements for the role. The role will require a full disclosure barring service (DBS). Closing date for applications is Thursday 2 July 2026. We reserve the right to close applications earlier.