What are the responsibilities and job description for the Family Support Worker IFD position at West Sussex County Council?
About Us
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 : £28,624 - £31,067 per annum
Working Pattern : Full Time (37 hours per week)
Contract : Fixed Term until 31st March 2026
Location : Based in Horsham
Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position, however, please can you discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.
As Family Support worker at the front door into services you will work in collaboration with families and partner agencies to assess risk and needs to ensure children, young people and families can access the most appropriate service at the earliest opportunity.
You’ll be the first point of contact for families, making an initial phone call to explore the support needs of the children and young people. You will speak to both children, young people, parents / carers and professionals to analysis information provided and ensure the most appropriate interventions is put in place for the family to support the best outcomes for children.
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.
You’ll need to be able to travel independently occasionally around the county. 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 :
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 competitive salary you will have access to :
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our page.
Salary : $28,624 - $31,067
