Family Support Coordinator

**Job title**: Family Support Co-ordinator

**Employer**: Home-Start Bristol and South Gloucestershire (HSBSG)

**Location**: The Greenway Business Centre, Southmead, Bristol BS10 5PY

**Contract**: Permanent

**Hours of work**: 28 hours per week to include a Monday

**Grade**: Spinal Column Points 13-20 in five increments

£28,163 - £31,586 (full-time equivalent for 37 hrs/wk)

**Responsible to**: The Chief Executive or the Senior Co-ordinator (Families)

**Responsible for**: Volunteers

**Purpose of the job**

To be part of a team of Family Support Co-ordinators working to support referred families with young children and the volunteers who work with them either through individual or peer support. The purpose of the support is to improve family wellbeing and enhance family relationships and connections.

**Context**

Home-Start Bristol and South Gloucestershire supports families in two ways: individually by training and supporting a volunteer to visit them in their home, or through peer support by working with parents in a group setting. This work is carried out by Family Support Co-ordinators (FSCs), who may work mainly in one setting or equally in both. Both types of work are described below, at 2a and 2b. You may be undertaking either method of support or a mixture of the two in line with your recruitment, workplan and current need and priorities.

**Main responsibilities**

1. Working as part of the Home-Start Bristol and South Gloucestershire team
- Contribute to team discussions on families referred to HSBSG, deciding the most appropriate form of support for each family.
- Take part in recruiting, selecting and training suitable volunteers.
- Contribute as required to the delivery of the Home-Start preparation course for volunteers.
- Provide support and ongoing training opportunities for volunteers.
- Take part in family activities and projects as required.

2. General family support responsibilities
- Implement good safeguarding practice in all areas of work and undertake designated responsibilities to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
- Contact and liaise with families and referrers to the service.
- Carry out an initial visit to the family to introduce the service (group or home visiting) and to further assess the family’s needs.
- Identify suitable volunteer(s) to support families individually or in a group setting.
- Support volunteers through supervision/group feedback meetings.
- Ensure group or home visiting support to families is reviewed at regular intervals during and at the end of support, in line with monitoring requirements and using outcome measurement tools.
- Maintain records and provide reports in accordance with HSBSG requirements.
- Evaluate the support and get feedback from families and volunteers about their experience of the support.

2a. Support for families and volunteers through home visiting (Main focus)
- Be allocated home visiting referrals across Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
- Make a home visiting focus of support plan for the family which is appropriate to the family’s needs and circumstances.
- Identify a suitable volunteer, introduce the volunteer to the family and support them with regular supervision.
- Support the family directly through advocacy, signposting, and referrals on to other services.
- Ensure an appropriate end to the placement.

2b. Support for families through group work (as required)
- Receive and evaluate referrals for groupwork.
- Plan and facilitate a programme of peer support groups to improve family wellbeing, parenting and enhance family relationships and connections.
- Run weekly HSBSG groups as agreed, ensuring a programme of relevant and engaging activities is planned, resourced, risk assessed, delivered, documented and evaluated.
- Engage local organisations in contributing to the programme.
- Manage volunteers allocated to the group, providing induction, supervision, and support.

3. Working in partnership
- Ensure appropriate communication and liaison with referrers and other professionals.
- Build and maintain strong links with statutory children’s centres, maternity, health visiting and mental health services.
- Network within the community to promote HSBSG’s work.
- Refer families on to other agencies as appropriate.
- Attend relevant meetings as required.
- Undertake training as required.

4. Commitment to the profile, policies and working systems of Home-Start Bristol and South Gloucestershire
- Responsible for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare at all times.
- Contribute to raising the profile of HSBSG across Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
- Comply with HSBSG’s administrative, monitoring and financial systems.
- Comply with HSBSG’s policies and procedures in all aspects of work.
- Proactively support and develop HSBSG’s commitment to equalities and inclusion.
- Undertake work as directed by the Chief Executive to support the strategic management, development and future funding of HSBSG.

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