Parent/Carer Facilitator in Colchester

Parent/Carer Facilitator

Service: Norfolk Suffolk, and NE Essex Family Action Services

Salary: Starting at £25,221, rising to £27,780 FTE per annum (£7,668.55 - £8,446.62 per annum for part-time, 15 hours per week term time only) - Additionally, £480 home-based allowance FTE per annum (£145.95 per annum for part-time)

Location: Home Based with travel North East Essex

Hours: 15 hours per week, 39 weeks per year (part-time)

Contract: Permanent

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first‑hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

This is an exciting new opportunity to for a warm and approachable Parent/Carer Teenlife Facilitator to join our Norfolk, Suffolk and NE Essex team to deliver the National Autistic Society (NAS) Teen Life Course to parents and carers of autistic young people. This is a home‑based role with regular travel to deliver face‑to‑face sessions in community settings. The Teen Life Course supports parents and carers to better understand autism during adolescence and to develop practical strategies to support their young person’s wellbeing, independence, and transition to adulthood. Family Action will fund the Train the Trainer course which is a 2‑day online course, ongoing registration fees and all travel costs.

We are looking for someone who has experience of working with autistic young people, parents or carers (professionally or lived experience) and is confident in delivering structured programmes both face to face and online. The successful candidate will need to have strong communications and group facilitation skills and understands autism, particularly in relation to adolescence and family life.

Main Responsibilities:

• Delivering the NAS Teen Life Course to groups of parents and carers
• Creating a safe, welcoming space where people feel comfortable sharing and learning
• Guiding discussions around adolescence, wellbeing, relationships, independence and transitions
• Using NAS materials to deliver engaging, supportive sessions
• Keeping simple records and feedback after sessions
• Travelling across North East Essex to deliver courses and covering for Suffolk team when requiredli>
• Working independently but with support from the wider team
• Full UK driving licence required and access to a car
• Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Standard DBS

Benefits:

• up to 6% matched-pension contributions
• enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
• eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
• cycle to work scheme
• investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

PLEASE NOTE: We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if sufficient applications have been received

For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential for flexible working, please email: Charlotte Evans, Operations Manager charlotte.evans@family-action.org.uk

All appointments with Family Action are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates. We are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action because we know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.

All candidates with a disability are welcome to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and request priority consideration for an interview, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role.

To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.