Senior Family Support Officers

Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 to enhance the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district. Our purpose is clear, to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of children and young people in Bradford becomes a reality. It’s a tough ask. It requires dedication, determination, and resilience – but under a new Chief Executive, Senior Leadership team and an unswerving drive to deliver the best outcomes, we are confident that we’ll achieve our ambition – and you, yours.

About The Role

West and keighley shipley family hubs

The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, published in 2021 called for a fundamental shift in the way that Children’s Social Care responds to families who need help. The review called for a simplified, more responsive approach that works with families to identify problems and provide help and support whilst reducing repeat cycles of assessments.

A central recommendation of the review was to ‘bring together the work currently undertaken at targeted early help level and the work undertaken at section 17, to form a new single offer of ‘Family Help’. This Family Help approach will enable Bradford to ‘reclaim the original intention of the Children Act (1989) and provide children and families the support that they need, keeping more families together and helping children to thrive’. 

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, clarifies that a broader range of practitioners can be the lead practitioner for children and families receiving support and services under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

Bradford is delighted to launch a prototype model of family help, starting with two areas of the district, West and Keighley Shipley Localities.

Each family help team will include the following:

• X 1 District Wide Early Help Service Manager (Social Work Qualified)
• X 1 Team Manager (Social Work Qualified)
• X 0.5 Practice Supervisor
• X 2 Social Workers
• X 4 Early Help Senior Family Support Workers (no requirement for a social care qualification)

About You

Successful candidates will have an established background in delivery of early help and intensive family support whilst being able to work with families to effect both first and second order change that will impact our children positively.

Bradford is committed to partnering with and holding families to make a real difference that enables long term, sustainable change and prevent escalation to higher tiers of intervention. 

You will have sound skills in engaging children and families and have strong assessment and planning skills, underpinned with articulating the lived experience of the child.

Benefits

• Generous Employer Contributions in a Local Government Pension Scheme
• Competitive salary and pay progression structure.
• Real living wage as the minimum rate of pay
• Supportive carer and parental policies
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Access to Occupational Health and confidential counselling services
• Supportive staff networks
• Access to Blue Light Card Discounts
• Professional development/support
• Career Progression
•  Enhanced annual leave entitlement

Next Steps 

If you are committed to offering children and families high quality support we’d like to hear from you.

Interviews anticipated to be w/c: 25th November 2024 (NB this may be subject to change)

Please note if you shortlisted and invited to Interview but are unsuccessful you may be offered A Family Support Worker as an alternative.

Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates

Closing Date

08 November, 2024

Location

Bradford, United Kingdom