Job Details

Job Title:	Child and Family Worker
Team/Service Area:	Children’s Social Care
Salary/Grade:	Grade 5
Line Manager:	Team Manager, Children with Disabilities
Direct Reports:	0
Location:	Sandhill Centre, Grindon Lane, Sunderland, SR3 4EN

 

About Us

 

Established in 2017, Together for Children Sunderland is on a mission to improve services in social care, early help and education and engage the whole community in giving children and young people in Sunderland the best possible opportunity to thrive.

Our dedicated workforce strives to make a difference, irrespective of our work vocation or specialism.

We value diversity and actively seek candidates from all backgrounds, including various ages, disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, beliefs, races, and cultural backgrounds. Our inclusive workplace culture fosters collaboration and excellence.

Find out more: Find out more – Together for Children

 

About the Role

To work with children, young people and families, providing support and interventions to make children safer so they can live at home where it is safe to do so. If children can’t remain living at home intervention and support with their network to find the best alternative care arrangements. To support rehabilitation home to parents/ carers when this is the plan.

To facilitate and supervise family time between cared for children and their parents and family, the aim is to promote safe, positive and purposeful family time and to ensure that the child or young person is safeguarded during the supervised family time session.

To support social workers who have case responsibility for children who are subject to Child Protection Plans (CP) or Child in Need Plans (CIN) and Cared for Plans (CLA), this will include family support work, direct work with children including life story work, and facilitating and supervising family time between looked after children and their parents and family.

Key Responsibilities

To contribute to the delivery of the Edge of Care program, Child in Need, Child

Protection Plans and Cared for Children Plans as directed by the allocated social worker and team manager.

To supervise family time between cared for children and their families to ensure children benefit from safe, meaningful family time with family members, at times when they must live apart.

To sensitively manage the supervision of family time sessions, having the ability to engage with children and adults to redirect challenging behaviour to more positive engagement.

To transport children  as required, ensuring that family time arrangements are met in a venue, which may include travelling outside of the City of Sunderland. To ensure case recording is accurate and up to date, in order that high quality reports are produced for meetings and reviews.

To establish effective working relationships with children, families and professionals to achieve best outcomes for children.

To be proactive and solution focused to ensure that family time takes place as planned and to communicate any changes verbally and in writing with all parties.

To plan and organise workload, ensuring transport and venue arrangements are in place to make best use of available resources, identifying gaps and working flexibly to find solutions.

To understand the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people and work with families in conjunction with the social worker to develop each individual plan.

 

Additional Information/Other Requirements:

To be able to meet the travelling requirements of the post.

To be able to work flexible hours as required by the post, including evening and weekends.

 

Our Expectations

 

You must undertake this role in accordance with the requirements set out below:

 

• Comply with Together for Children’s Code of Conduct, People policies and procedures, Health and Safety Policy and EDI Statement.
• Uphold all relevant professional policies, standards and legislative requirements
• Adhere to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR principles in relation to the management and handling of personal and/or sensitive information and respect the privacy of personal information managed by Together for Children Sunderland.
• Comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

This job description is a guide to the duties you will be expected to perform. It is not an exhaustive list, and you may be required to undertake other tasks and duties not listed that are reasonably commensurate with the job role and grade of the post. Where a fundamental change to the job description is needed this will be discussed with the postholder prior to any changes being made

 

Person Specification – Child and Family Worker

 

The requirements for this post and how candidates will be assessed are set out below.

 

Essential Requirements	Method of Assessment
Qualifications •      Current driving licence and access to a car or means to mobility support. •      Relevant level 3 qualification (NVQ Level 3, in childcare, social care or equivalent) or the ability to work towards this within a reasonable timescale.	Application Form
Experience •      Working with children in need and their families (formal and informal); •      Working in a team; •      Good communication skills; •      Customer Service; •      Good report writing and recording skills; •      Direct work with children & Families	Application Form
Knowledge and Understanding •      Children’s Social Care procedures; •      Children’s Safeguarding procedures; •      Knowledge of social, emotional and developmental needs of young people; •      Commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children, their parents and their families.	Application Form
Skills and Abilities •      Share information, obtain information and have dialogue with others, either in writing, in person or over the telephone; •      Work effectively within a busy team environment, be helpful and co-operative with others; •      Effectively risk manage within children’s service settings; •      Manage priorities and work demands displaying initiative and creativity; •      Effectively use a PC to write reports/assessments, record   information or input data; •      Be confident on challenging other professionals	Interview
appropriately; •      Self-motivated, resilient and committed to excellent work  practice; •      Reliable and self-reliant and to seek guidance when appropriate; •      Meet the travel and transport requirements of the post;Work on a 7- day rota between the hours of 7am and 7pm to meet the needs of the service.
Other Requirements • Commitment to Equal Opportunities	Interview