Family Support Assistant

**About Us**
West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents’ every day. Through our Early Help Service, we will work with children, families, and young people to help ensure that every person is supported to achieve his or her potential. The foundations for mental health, emotional control, doing well in education and parenting ability are all set in place in the early years; the home surroundings, family life and parenting are all important factors in determining positive outcomes for children as they grow and develop.

For more information about Children’s Services, please visit our **Education, Children and Families** page and our **WSCC Health and Social Care** section of our website.

For more information about working for West Sussex County Council (WSCC), please visit our **WSCC About Us** page on our West Sussex County Council website.

**About The Job** Grade**: NJC 5

**Salary**: £22,369 to £22,777 per annum (£11,184.5 to £11,388.5 pro - rata)

**Working pattern**: Part time (18.5 hours per week)

**Contract type**: Permanent

**Locations**: Chichester

You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

**Interview Date**: Wednesday, 5th April

**Closing Date**:Sunday, 26 March

You will be the co-ordinator of Early Help Plans to assess each member of the family and agree outcomes that the family and professionals around them will work towards. You will use a strengths-based approach to support and sustain positive change that improves outcomes for children and young people.

You will help to provide a safe and welcoming space for young people through the Find It Out (FIO) offer. You’ll be able to speak confidently with young people, understand their needs and be able to help them access appropriate support at a time that suits them, including after school hours.

You will be a team player with a passion for engaging with parents, providing direct support and encouraging families to access to our services. You will use your initiative to organise your workload and respond to unanticipated problems for families.

You must have experience of working with families along with a good understanding of the importance of parenting skills and community development, as well as the challenges of family life.

We are looking for someone who is NVQ level 3 qualified in Childcare, Play Work, Family Support, or equivalent related area.

**Experience and Skills**
Key Skills:

- Good communication and interpersonal skills across a range of audiences, with an ability to present information verbally and in writing which is clear, concise and accurate. Able to provide specialist advice and guidance whilst maintaining trust with families who may otherwise not want to engage with services they may distrust.
- Strong customer focus with the ability to work as a key contact and provide a professional service to meet customer’s needs, both individually and in groups.
- Ability to respond sensitively and flexibly to diverse groups of providers and families whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Ability to organise/prioritise work, co-ordinate a variety of tasks in a clear and logical way and meet agreed deadlines.
- Ability to work within recognised procedures, able to effectively organise own workload. Can use initiative to respond to unanticipated problems.

Qualifications and/or experience:

- NVQ level 3 in childcare, play work, family support or related area and/or relevant experience working with parents, carers and children.
- Good knowledge of child development.
- Good understanding of the importance of parenting skills and community development with an understanding of the challenges of family life.
- Knowledge of safeguarding procedures.
- Experience of working with families in a community setting.
- Experience of working within the early years, family support, family centre or child health sector.
- Valid and full driving licence.

**Rewards and Benefits**
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

- A competitive salary
- A generous pension scheme
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
- Flexible working
- A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
- Free access to employee assistance programmes
- Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
- A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex Co