Family Group Meeting Co-ordinator - 10926_1753444012

Family Group Conference Co-ordinator – Fixed term until July 2026
City Chambers

Salary: £44,257- £52,373
Hours: 36 per week, 52 weeks

PURPOSE OF JOB

The coordinator is responsible for the promotion, operation and evaluation of a Family Group Meeting Service. The key purpose of the job is to ensure that all possible options for children within their own families are explored and every attempt is made to assist the family in coming up with a plan for the care of their child, having due regard to the child\’s best interest and safety.

MAJOR TASKS/JOB ACTIVITIES

To be responsible for the negotiation, mediation and co-ordination of the FGDM process. To receive referrals, to meet with the referrer and relevant professionals to identify the reasons for the request, clarify strengths, risks and expectations and agree respective roles and responsibilities. Meet with families and professionals prior to the FGDM meeting, considering complex family dynamics, to prepare children, families and professionals for the FGDM Meeting. To co-ordinate the FGDM meeting, ensure consensus of the plan and circulate it as required. Supporting families to share family plans in other meetings such as Hearings and Reviews etc. To facilitate the meeting positively and sensitively so extended families and friends can meet to address family difficulties using their own experiences, knowledge and strengths. To be prepared to work autonomously by managing their own workload and taking proactive responsibility for developing their learning and skills. To adhere to the National Standards of FGDM in Scotland and work within the accreditation standards of FGDM. To be prepared to work flexibly, to meet the needs of families, working in the evenings and at weekends. To offer and deliver Lifelong Links to young people in the care system who want to be connected to family members or friends/carers from their past. To promote FGDM and to deliver workshops/training events regarding FGDM to a variety of stakeholders, including professionals, Universities, and members of the public. To take on development responsibilities within the team. To contribute to developing policy and practice within the Council and wider. To offer consultancy to staff in the Children and Families Department concerning the Family Group Meeting service and process. To gain feedback from family members and young people and support the involvement of family in the service as either volunteers or advisers. To participate in designing and implementing quality assurance measures which contribute to review processes and to carry out and collate data collection in relation to evaluation of the service on an ongoing basis.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS (E.G. CREATIVITY &INNOVATION, CONTACTS & RELATIONSHIPS,DECISION MAKING) Post holder should have a Diploma or Degree in Social Work or equivalent and have extensive experience of working in the field of child welfare and protection systems and supporting children who are looked after. Ability to engage with a wide range of professionals and families, using excellent communication skills. Ability to work in partnership and recognise and build on strengths where they exist. To work independently, managing own caseload and time and to make good use of supervision. To ensure that the FGDMs they co-ordinate deliver strong, safe plans for children and young people. To ensure that these are done in a timescale that meets the needs of the families and workers involved. Ability to support/ counsel and negotiate solutions with individuals, their families and carers, using mediation skills. A knowledge and understanding of trauma informed practice is a key part of the co-ordinator\’s role. The post requires a high level of self-motivation and an ability to look for imaginative, creative and restorative options. To demonstrate a commitment to strength based & relationship-based practice. An ability to identify and manage complex dilemmas. Ability to train/deliver workshops and take on a specialist area to develop and lead.

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.
We\’re committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits that a diverse workforce with different values, beliefs, experience, and backgrounds brings to us as an organisation.

As part of our goal to improve our organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure that we\’re bringing the best people into our roles, not just in their skills and experience but also in their approach to work.

To help achieve this, we\’re changing the way we interview and assess candidates by moving from a competency-based interview approach to a behavioural and technical (skills for the job) based approach. This new way of interviewing will allow us to assess how you think and how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow\”>Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

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