Family Support Practitioner

Role: Family Support Practitioner 

Service: Northern Family Support Hub Service 

Salary: £23,550 per annum

Role 1: Hybrid working between Antrim office and home - primarily covering the Coleraine/Ballymoney/Moyle area.

Role 2: Hybrid working between Larne office and home - primarily covering Newtownabbey area.

Contract/Hours: Fixed term contract until 30th June 2025 with possible extension.

Full-time - 37 hours per week (generally Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm but some flexibility may be required).

Interviews to be held on Monday 29th July 2024.

Benefits:   

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 29 days PLUS bank holidays   
• Up to 5 more days leave for continuous service plus the option to buy and sell leave.   
• Gain professional qualifications with excellent training, and development opportunities.   
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.   
• A pension with a up to a 7% employer contribution rate. Plus, if you pay in to the pension you will receive life assurance cover.  
• Staff discount portal with your favourite brands.   
• Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 discounts from national retailers.  

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help  

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.  

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.  

Why Action for Children?  

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.  

 A bit about the role

Action for Children's Northern Family Support Hubs Service works across the Northern Health & Social Care Trust area with five Family Support Hubs across the area. The service works to help children aged 0-17 and their families to access early intervention support when they need it most. The Hubs are funded by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

Each Hub is a multi-agency network of organisations that provide early intervention services in the area and in your role you will coordinate this forum to signpost referrals for families who need early intervention services in the most efficient way. This will involve directly linking with families and other professionals. You'll work to look at the needs of families and work to match families' needs to the best possible service or services that can help.

As a Family Support Practitioner you'll be based between your assigned office and home .The normal working hours are 9.00-5pm, Monday-Friday, however, there may be a need for flexibility within this to meet the needs of the service. The Family Support Hubs cover the whole of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust area, however, these roles are primarily to cover the Coleraine/Ballymoney/Moyle Hub areas and the Newtownabbey Hub areas.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities of the Family Support Practitioner role are;

• Managing a caseload within the Coleraine/Ballymoney/Moyle and Newtownabbey
• Responsible for assessing the family's needs.
• Liaising with the families and other agencies.
• Undertaking home visits where necessary.
• Attending meetings as required, including to present cases at monthly meetings.
• Ensuring all records are kept up to date.

Let's talk about you

• Diploma Level 3 or equivalent qualification in early years and childcare, social care or related background.
• Experience of direct work/engagement with children and families.
• Good report writing skills.
• Excellent communication and IT skills.
• Registration or the willingness to register with NISCC.
• Full valid UK driving licence with access to a car. The job requires the ability to travel according to the needs of the job, with reasonable adjustments, if required, according to the Equality Act.

Good to know  

Application Process:

There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration.  

Talent Pool: 

We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't.  

Contact: Emma Goodwin at [email protected]   

Diversity, equality and inclusion  

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. 

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles. 

 Don't meet every single requirement?  

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.  

Want to know more about Action for Children?  

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