Job Introduction
Do you like working with young people aged 12-17? Do you enjoy fast paced crisis intervention work and helping young people and their parents work together to find solutions to their difficulties?
If so, the Family Support Worker role within our S.T.E.P. team could be for you. This team is based within our wider Family Assessment and Support Team and works extensively with families where a child has been assessed by our Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub to be on the edge of care.
Individual plans of support are developed with the family, and you’ll have access to bespoke wellbeing support and innovative resources such as our partnership with a therapeutic horse care organisation. We also work very closely with other helpful and professional teams and agencies.
Our work is focused on short term intensive support to address the immediate crisis and to build resilience within the family network. Our priority is to enable a child to remain safely at home wherever possible.
We work a small caseload so that we can offer dedicated support to families and children – this includes some evening and weekend support. We have evening and alternate weekend rotas 365 days of the year, and as a result we offer an alternative working pattern payment of 5% on top of your basic salary. You’ll receive a midweek day off to reflect the weekend work.
Working as part of the weekend team will help you to gain experience with vulnerable children, since risks are higher at home.
For more information about the role please call 01908 253232 and speak to Garry Lake Team Manager or Clare Greaves Senior Practitioner S.T.E.P.
Interviews will be held on Thursday 7 December.
Milton Keynes City Council is a modern and friendly place to work. We offer an excellent benefits package including an enhanced pension, generous holiday allowance starting at 28 days as well as a great range of training and development opportunities to help you in your career.
Main Responsibility
- Working alongside the Senior Social worker to support children and young people and their parents to continue to live at home or return home if living apart due to family breakdown.
- Direct work with children and parents to explore the current crisis and work towards solutions to reduce risk of children becoming Looked After.
- Participating in multi-agency meetings with the child and family, developing safety plans to address parental concerns.
- Working with the Family Group Conference Service to progress to a conference for all children to build networks and family/friend support.
- Maintain case records on LCS system within current recording guidance and providing written and verbal reports to other agencies as required.
- Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to share knowledge, develop team skills and contribute to the overall development of the team.
- Participate in a 365-day rota working mainly 9am-5pm shifts with a maximum of four 1pm-9pm late shifts per month with a midweek rest day and alternate weekends off.
- Work a minimum of 2-3 bank holidays throughout the year for which double time/lieu day is paid.
The Ideal Candidate
- Experience, enthusiasm and creative energy to work with teenagers and good understanding of the transition from childhood to adolescence /adulthood is essential.
- Knowledge/ facilitation of Parenting programmes in adolescence e.g. ‘Who’s in Charge’, ‘Triple P teen’ is desirable.
- Enhanced DBS, driving license and access to a car.
- Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to engage adults and children in crisis.
- Good IT and verbal and written communication skills.
Should you be offered the role, as part of the pre-employment checks an Enhanced DBS will be actioned for you (unless you are on the DBS Update Service).
For this role you are required to have a Full UK Driving Licence.
If you are successful, you will be required to supply evidence of your licence prior to starting the role. You’ll be required to provide evidence of your vehicle insurance with business use. This is required for any roles that requires the employee to travel to more than one place of work.
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 and a childcare subsidy.
- 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.
- Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.
Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.
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.
