Job Details
JOB PURPOSE:
The Early Help service aims to identify families that need support at the earliest opportunity. Early Help Practitioners will support a caseload of families with children (0-19yrs) in order to build their strengths and help them overcome issues. The service is developing a more integrated model of practice that involves a ‘Whole Family’ approach that will continue to utilise motivational interviewing skills and will more systematically measure progress using the Family Outcomes Star.
The purpose of the role will be to support families to build capacity, resilience and independence so that they are able to have the best start or are able to overcome issues before they become so serious that specialist or statutory services are needed. Delivery will be through integrated family hubs and from a variety of venues.
Early Help Practitioners will have the skills which will enable them to support a range of needs in a family. In addition, workers will bring with them a range of experience and backgrounds which will be utilised through appropriate allocation of cases and sharing skills across the Early Help Team.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:
1. To provide holistic support to a caseload of families.
2. To undertake whole family assessments, coordinate network meetings and undertake regular reviews with families.
3. To deliver one to one sessions with parents and with the children (age appropriate) using solution focused and motivational interviewing techniques.
4. To meet with parents and/or their children at their home, school or other setting.
5. Provide short term practical support that is able to help families engage in services (e.g. escorting parents to children’s centres, bringing young people to youth/play services)
6. Ensure that parents, children and young people’s views are captured and included in plans.
7. To work in partnership with other services regarding the support for families (e.g. Schools, Children’s Social Care, Health Visiting, CAMHS etc)
8. To deliver parenting interventions both on a one-to-one and group work basis.
9. To work as a reflective practitioner in order to identify issues and improve practice. To seek guidance on casework via case supervision, group case discussion and reflective forums.
10. To be committed to models of practice including the Outcomes Star, case discussion and supporting the wider team in identifying joint approaches in the way forward for complex cases
11. Prioritise cases and summarise progress in preparation for supervision and other panel meetings.
12. To make sure assessments and plans for families are leading to clear outcomes and that those outcomes are captured at review and closure of a case.
13. To work across the borough as the need arises and from various locations such as Schools, Children’s Centres and Health settings.
14. To liaise with social workers regarding cases that have emerging safeguarding issues and where pieces of joint work have been identified.
15. To keep up to date regarding local provision so that families have clear exit support plans that link them in with the voluntary sector, play/youth services, children’s centres and other voluntary sector provision.
16. As required develop and deliver group work, accredited projects, and evidence based programmes aimed at supporting children, young people and families to build on their strengths and overcome specific issues.
17. To be the designated link worker with a number of settings, which may include schools, children’s centres, play centres, and youth provision. This will involve taking referrals, making assessments, coordinating or carrying out packages of support; working with groups of parents, children or young people; and seeking creative ways of joining up support for children, young people and families.
18. Ensure that assessments and plans are holistic and look to identify strengths and needs across a family and cover a wide range of areas including (but not exhaustive) health, risky behaviour, school attendance/behaviour/achievement, troubled families criteria and parenting needs
19. Closely monitor cases where there is poor school attendance to ensure parents are aware of their legal responsibilities to have their children in full time education. In these circumstances Early Help Practitioners are expected to work in close partnership with the school and agree a plan to improve attendance with the family which is reviewed regularly.
20. Where cases of poor school attendance fail to improve consult with line manager to consider a referral for prosecution and prepare necessary paperwork/witness testimony
21. Provide support around under 5’s related issues as appropriate, including the co-facilitation of group work.
22. Ensure case notes are concise, accurate, outcome focused and reflect the current status of a case.
23. Compile reports/case studies for meetings, audits or inspections
24. To be fully aware of child protection issues when working with families and be able to implement safeguarding procedures as necessary.
25. To maintain up to date knowledge of policies, practices, and procedures, and of the legal framework within which the service operates
26. To ensure that data and information about children, young people and families is secure, that the Council’s data protection policies and procedures are followed, and that information sharing protocols are observed
27. To work flexibly on occasion, including outside office hours, in order to meet service requirements.
28. To make sure assessments and plans for families are leading to clear outcomes and that those outcomes are captured at review and closure of a case
29. To work across the locality and from various locations such as Schools, Children’s Centres, Health and Community settings
30. The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job profile are indicative of the role. However, they are not exhaustive and may be subject to change. In addition, you will be required to undertake other reasonable duties as directed by your manager
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION:
Qualifications
Essential:
• Recognised qualification in a related discipline (inc. family support, early years, youth work, youth justice, social care etc
Skills; Experience and Attitude
Essential:
• Ability to build trusted and responsive relationships with children, young people and families who need extra support
• Experience of working with families with complex needs and a sound understanding of threshold management
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to write concise and understandable assessments and other records
• Good IT skills and experience with using databases
• Knowledge of issues relating to safeguarding vulnerable children, child protection issues and evidence of training completed
• Excellent understanding of both ‘strengths based’ and ‘outcomes focused’ work, with a demonstrable knowledge of appropriate and effective evidence-based problem-solving interventions with children, young people and families
• Proven ability in the effective use of assessment frameworks and tools to produce appropriate, sound, evidence-based assessments of needs, strengths and of risk, and use these to produce outcomes-focused support plans that are reviewed and updated appropriately
• Proven ability to work autonomously and to use the authority of the role appropriately
• Proven ability to work under pressure, and to manage and prioritise your own workload
• Substantial understanding of diversity and equal opportunity issues, including anti discriminatory practice and how this impacts on service users
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills with ability to write clear and concise reports
• Good level of computer literacy, knowledge and proficiency in the use of the case management system and Microsoft Applications including e-mail, client database and basic word processing.
• Substantial experience of working with children and families, preferably within a local authority setting, demonstrating a clear understanding of the range of issues that impact on children and young people’s lives
• Demonstrable experience of working effectively with colleagues and partner agencies
• Demonstrable experience of working with vulnerable children and young people and families within a Children’s Service, voluntary sector or other relevant, accredited setting to improve their outcomes.
• Experience of working with a range of agencies as the key lead professional to ensure a ‘team around’ approach.
• Managing a varied caseload of children across the age range and their families
If you are interested in this role please do reach out to me via email or telephone!
amberrayment@carringtonblakerecruitment.com
020 753 766 07
