Key Worker

**JOB PURPOSE**:
To improve the outcomes and life chances of children, young people and their families in Leicestershire by:

- Working in partnership with families, in their homes and in the wider community
- Developing effective relationships and using strength-based approaches to help, motivate and encourage behaviour change that will lead to a positive difference to people’s lives

**ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS**:

- Experience of providing direct support in the home to children and families with complex needs which may include mental health, offending, substance misuse, domestic violence and abuse, and/or educational issues
- Experience of identifying and delivering appropriate evidence-based interventions e.g. solution focussed brief therapy, the Freedom Programme, parenting programmes, brief intervention, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based approaches, motivational interviewing
- Experience of carrying out assessments, support planning, formulating action plans and reporting outcomes
- Knowledge and awareness of issues which may have an impact on the lives of families such as domestic violence and abuse, mental health difficulties, substance misuse, poverty, housing
- An understanding of the impact of discrimination on the lives of those from minority ethnic communities and others that experience social exclusion, and an ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
- Understanding of, and compliance with, information sharing protocols and confidentiality
- Ability to work proactively, persistently and persuasively with families who may not be willing to engage with services, using a range of techniques that encourage active participation
- Ability to build professional confidence and resilience, good working relationships with families, ability to over-come barriers to them engaging, recognising reasons for resistance to change, where tensions can exist.
- Ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with children and adults, focusing on hearing and capturing the child’s voice.
- Use of positive whole family approaches to build on parent, family and child strengths and develop resilience, self-reliance and independent action
- Ability to demonstrate initiative and commitment to operate with mínimal supervision in supporting families
- Ability to motivate and inspire colleagues from a range of agencies to work together in the best interests of families, service providers and the wider community
- Ability to understand and practice appropriate and legal information sharing within and between agencies and the family
- Excellent written and oral communication skills including the ability to produce reports, maintain records, and provide data for monitoring purposes
- Proven ability to recognise Child Protection issues and Safeguarding practice
- The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post

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**Please see the Job Description / Person Specification which are attached further down on this page**.**

**We are on a journey to be an inclusive department where a culture to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded and discrimination challenged at every level together as a department. We warmly welcome those from all cultures, ethnicities and beliefs - this diversity is vital to our journey and is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our children and familie**s. **We particularly welcome applicants from black, minority, ethnic (BME) communities, disabled people and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities, as they are currently under represented within our workforce.**

**For further information about working for Leicestershire County Council, please click **here**.