Vacancies

Family Help Practitioner

Main Responsibility

• Build trusted relationships with children and families and remain their consistent point of contact throughout their Family Help support.
• Assess the needs and risks affecting children and families and make sure these are clearly understood, recorded and acted on.
• Develop and deliver practical support plans, acting as Lead Professional where needed and taking appropriate action to safeguard children.
• Manage a caseload of families with medium to high levels of need or risk, including a limited number of Child in Need cases, with close professional supervision.
• Work collaboratively with other services and agencies to plan and deliver joined-up support for children and families.
• Keep accurate case records, produce high-quality reports and complete required statutory visits for children supported through a Child in Need plan.
• These consolidate the nine deliverables in the role profile into the template's maximum of six clear responsibilities.

The Ideal Candidate

• If building trusting relationships with children and families is one of your strengths, this could be the role for you.
• A relevant Level three qualification within the National Qualifications Framework, or equivalent experience, is essential for this role.
• Strong communication skills will help you engage sensitively with children, families and professionals, as well as record information clearly and accurately.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies will come naturally to you, helping to provide coordinated support that meets the needs of children and families.
• Confidence in developing, delivering and reviewing support plans is important, particularly when working with families experiencing medium levels of need or risk.
• We value people who use their initiative, ask constructive questions and find practical solutions while working within agreed guidance, policies and professional standards.
• Being dedicated, respectful and collaborative will shape the way you work with families, colleagues and partner organisations, reflecting the values of Milton Keynes City Council.
• Where community-based travel is required, access to your own car, a UK driving licence and appropriate business insurance will be needed.

Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

To be successful in this role, you’ll need a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle. If we offer you the role, we’ll ask you to provide evidence of your driving licence and vehicle insurance, including cover for business use. We’re unable to confirm an appointment until these documents are received.

Safer Recruitment

Safer Recruitment applies to this role. This means that, before any appointment is confirmed, we’ll carry out a range of pre-employment checks to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults. These checks may include identity verification, where candidates will be required to provide original identification documents, including a full birth certificate, employment history and reference checks, qualification checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service). check where required.

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can lease an electric or low-emission vehicle at a reduced cost through salary sacrifice, subject to National Minimum Wage and other eligibility requirements.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes

Roles are either ‘site based’ or ‘home based’.

Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs.

Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week.

The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council, see attached.

Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have an independent and unrestricted right to work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.