Dedicated Schools Team Family Support Worker

**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** Salary**: NJC Grade 7 £25,409 to £27,852

**Working Pattern**: Full time (37 hours)
**Contract**:Permanent
**Location**: Adur and Worthing

As a family support worker for the dedicated schools’ team, you will manage a caseload of schools who you will work with to identify young people who may require support, at the earliest opportunity. You will work hard to build up relationships with your schools, getting to know their specific needs and challenges, and being flexible and creative in the support you offer. You will need to use your initiative and be proactive in your approach. Some experience of working in a school environment would be beneficial.

Alongside this you will also have a caseload of families you work with. You will be assessing the needs of children, young people, and families to access, coordinate and deliver the support they need. You will work to improve their outcomes and lived experience, helping prevent their difficulties from becoming irreversible.

Key to this role is delivering direct work and interventions through our Whole Family Approach process tailored around a range of issues that children, young people, and their families may experience. Through this way of working, you will help to keep children safe whilst supporting and sustaining positive change for them and their families.

You will need strong skills in partnership working to develop and maintain effective relationships with parents, families, and partners such as Education, Health, Police and Children’s Social Care, to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

We are looking for someone with experience of working with children, young people and/or families, who has emotional resilience and a passion for supporting a diverse range people in our communities.

**Experience and Skills** Key Skills**:

- Works effectively with families in crisis, managing own and others anxieties and working within the boundaries of the role.
- Manage casework effectively with children/young people and their families, establishing needs, setting objectives, and reviewing progress.
- Engage and work creatively in partnership with children/young people and their families, in order to effect positive and lasting change.
- Work in an empowering way with families, focusing on their collective strengths and resources, e.g. using a Solution focused approach.
- Reflect on own practice and to learn from experience. To take responsibility for own performance and to be proactive in relation to own work and professional development.
- Analyse and interpret complex information and prioritise needs in order to make recommendations/decisions which will have a positive outcome.

**Qualifications and/or experience**:

- NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification, demonstrating that level of ability in working with children/young people and families or relevant experience. Relevant organisational knowledge of systems, procedures and policies associated with operating a client focused service.
- Significant experience of working with children/young people and their families in a crisis situation and using a range of direct work interventions.
- Experience of working in a multi-agency context, demonstrating an awareness of differing roles and responsibilities and effective methods of collaboration.
- Knowledge of child and adolescent development and age-appropriate behaviour relevant to the Early Help service.
- Understanding of current childcare legislation and policy.
- Knowledge of Safeguarding policies and procedures.
- 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