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At West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce and are committed to improving our services for children and families in West Sussex. You will join us at a key time in our improvement journey, while we focus on delivering flawless family support and driving forward our 'Children First' improvement plan.

The Early Help Service is an integral part of the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate. We work with children, families, and young people to help ensure that every child is supported to achieve his or her potential. Working collaboratively with social care so that all children and families are accessing the right help and protection from the most appropriate part of children's services.

Early Help ensures that children and families receive accessible and co-ordinated support when they need it. This support ranges across a continuum from universal preventative approaches through to more targeted help where families are experiencing more complex or multiple difficulties. At every level support is designed to address and reduce the problems or challenges and prevent them getting worse.

The Opportunity

Salary: £29,540 to £32,061 per annum

Working Pattern: Full-Time (37 hours per week)
Contract Length: Fixed Term until 31st March 2027

Location: Haywards Heath area

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

Family Support Workers assess the needs of children, young people and families in order to access, coordinate and deliver the support they need to improve their outcomes and lived experience and prevent their difficulties becoming irreversible.

You'll deliver direct work and interventions around a range of issues to children, young people and their families that helps to keep children safe and supports and sustains positive change for them and their families.

You will need strong skills in partnership working, developing and maintaining effective partnerships with parents, families and partners such as education, health, Police and Children's Social Care, to achieve positive outcomes for children.

As a Family Support Worker, you might find yourself supporting families:

• At the front door into services where you will work in collaboration with families and partner agencies to assess risk and needs and ensure children, young people and families can access the most appropriate service at the earliest opportunity.
• By providing them with supported help, working with the whole family to assess the needs of each family member, and to create a whole family plan with agreed outcomes that you will lead, and that the family and professionals will work towards.
• By providing bespoke and wrap-around support for school communities in order to prevent difficulties escalating and requiring targeted support.

You'll need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport and will require access to your own vehicle. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

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 and access to a vehicle / ability to travel around the county independently.

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:

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE06421.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Heidi Wyatt at . For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application please contact .

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.