Child Practitioner - Kinship Matters Support Worker

Oxfordshire County Council; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional council in the United Kingdom seeks to support kinship carers throughout the process of gaining a permanent Order. Your role includes educating carers about children in local authority care, leading support groups, and facilitating transitions to Special Guardian status. The ideal candidate will have experience in delivering training and an understanding of the challenges faced by children in care. This role offers generous benefits including increased holiday allowance and a Local Government Pension Scheme.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions

Local and national retail discounts

Enhanced family friendly policies including carers leave

Qualifications

• Experience in working directly with parents/carers and delivering training and support.
• Awareness of the CWCF system and challenges faced by children in care.
• Personable, approachable, professional and able to maintain safe boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Educate carers about why children have come into local authority care.
• Lead family network meetings and kinship support groups.
• Enable a smooth transition to becoming a Special Guardian carer.
• Work directly with parents/carers in delivering training and support.
• Maintain awareness of the CWCF system.

Skills

Experience in delivering training and support

Personable and approachable

Professionalism in maintaining safe boundaries

Effective communication skills

Job description

Overview

Your role would be to support Kinship carers through the process of gaining a permanent Order. You will receive training in delivering the Foster Carers Toolkit which is available to all foster carers and Oxfordshire's bespoke behavioural management programme and be trauma informed.

Responsibilities

• Educate carers about why children have come into local authority care and deliver training on issues such as domestic violence, substance misuse, financial management and trauma.
• Lead family network meetings, kinship support groups and signpost kinship carers to other agencies for help directly with issues such as housing or safety.
• Enable a smooth transition between being an assessed kinship carer through to becoming a Special Guardian carer and beyond.
• Work directly with parents/carers in delivering training and support within Children’s social care.
• Maintain awareness of the CWCF system and the challenges faced by children in care.
• Be personable and approachable, maintaining professional, safe boundaries.
• Value team play and communicate to a high standard both verbally and in written form.

Qualifications

• Experience in working directly with parents/carers and delivering training and support.
• Awareness of the CWCF system and challenges faced by children in care.
• Personable, approachable, professional and able to maintain safe boundaries.

Benefits

You will have access to a generous holiday allowance which rises as you remain in employment with us up to 33 days, as well as the option to buy additional holiday. You will also have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of up to 19.9% of your salary; a range of local and national retail discounts; and a host of enhanced family friendly policies including carers leave and paid time off for volunteering.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave.