Child and Family Support Worker

Permanent, Full Time

£23,456 to £29,933 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!

There is ‘No Magic’ to it, click here to see why

The purpose of this role is to work within frontline Children and Young People with Disabilities (CYPWD) teams to support the delivery of effective Children’s Social Work. The CYPWD team provides a comprehensive service offer to CYPWD aged 0-15 and 16+ through delivery of outcome focused; timely, targeted work including solution focused brief intervention.

The postholder will undertake a range of activity directly with children, young people with complex learning and/or physical disabilities, providing practical, personal and emotional support to the child, young person and family that meets the assessed needs and promotes improved health, physical, mental and social development and well-being.

The work can be complex, demanding and emotionally challenging and the postholder is required to work with dedication and resilience to:

• Deliver positive behaviour support interventions to families to support with the management of behaviours that challenge, including routines, relationships, puberty, management of inappropriate sexualised behaviour. This would also include bespoke programmes of work designed to respond to the needs identified within CIN, CIC and CP plans and working closely with social workers on specific time limited work such as keep safe work, social stories, emotional regulation and visual prompts/timetables.
• Provision of programmes of direct work with children and young people that support the individual to understand their ‘Life Story’ (as part of a care plan) including providing support for siblings of children with additional needs to enable them to understand their sibling relationships. This will entail using observational, direct work and other appropriate skills.
• Undertaking sleep assessments and subsequent programmes of work to promote wellbeing.
• Working collaboratively with Occupational Therapy colleagues, each service providing relevant early intervention support to the family to help them learn and implement new approaches to managing care/life at home.
• Work with children, young people and whole families to promote appropriate forms of communication including PECS, Makaton, BSL and Communication Passports.
• Work with parents/care givers to develop existing parenting skills/capacity through teaching, mentoring and support and application of parenting programmes.
• Facilitation of Children in Care Engagement Days (including school holiday activities) where there are no family/carer alternatives assessed as being able to meet this need. For example: trips to the seaside with parents/carers present and involved.
• Exploration into external community services that would support needs of families.

The service offer will include the following interventions which will take the specific needs of the 16+ client group into account:

• Organised small group days out which focus on independence skills such as cooking skills, low level support around behaviour and management, small pieces of bespoke travel training work, bespoke independence work helping young people to be equipped and ready to enter adulthood.
• Supporting young people to access community based activities, access Life Skills Courses and Work Training, access employment and support around understanding of money and budgeting.

The Experience You Will Bring

• NVQ/BTEC Level 3 or equivalent
• Experience of using positive based behaviour management strategies.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with children, young people and families in times of challenge and crisis
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity based work with children, young people and families
• Knowledge and understanding of the issues impacting children, young people and families, and that led to them requiring support.
• Knowledge of Children Act 1989 and 2004 and other legislative and policy guidance applicable within Children’s Social Care
• Desirable - First Aid Certificate/ Ability to Sign Language
• The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the County of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or ability to meet the mobility

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community Here.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email Zainub.khan@essex.gov.uk

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