Early Help Key Worker

Croydon Council; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Croydon Council in Croydon is seeking a dedicated family support worker to join our permanent team. The role is 36 hours per week, Grade 8, offering a competitive salary and excellent benefits. You will deliver whole family assessments and coordinate with health, education and third sector services to support families in need.

As a keyworker you will manage a caseload, work within a Team Around the Family framework, and ensure outcomes-based plans are progressed with supervisory support.

Qualifications

• Experience of undertaking effective decision making that leads to improved outcomes and reduces the risk of safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of systemic and strengths-based approaches
• Extensive knowledge about the wide range of Early Help support available across the continuum of need ranging from universal through to targeted services.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the research and evidence in relation to child development including issues affecting babies, children and young people’s vulnerability and resilience or sound knowledge in relation to the research.
• Knowledge of statutory services and relevant children’s legislation including a high awareness of child protection and safeguarding thresholds, indicators of need and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Deliver whole family assessments and interventions using a Team Around the Family framework and regular review processes.
• Coordinate access to community services including health, education and third sector provisions.
• Provide support through management oversight and safeguarding guidance to progress outcomes-based family plans.
• Maintain a mixed caseload and prioritise key work tasks while ensuring timely case progression.
• Engage with families, manage risk, and build robust relationships to support positive outcomes.

Skills

Decision making

Systemic approach

Early Help knowledge

Child development knowledge

Safeguarding knowledge

Job description

Job Description

Salary range: Grade 8 (£41,511-£43,449p.a.) plus fantastic benefits

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Croydon

Job Purpose

This role will provide support for families across the continuum of need. This service aims to assist families in recognising and accessing relevant support networks which will enable them to enjoy and achieve a good standard of family life and wellbeing without the need for input from Children’s Social Care. Working within a supportive management structure, you will be responsible for the delivery of ‘whole family’ assessments and interventions using a ‘Team Around the Family’ framework. Through the use of regular review and management oversight, you will support the progression and achievement of ‘outcomes based’ family plans. Your work will be highly collaborative in nature, relational in approach and heavily influenced by principles of systemic practice.

The service maintains commitment to the delivery of high-quality support through intensive partnership working with families and universal provisions. As a keyworker, you will navigate and broker families’ access to a range of community services including health, education and third sector provisions. Keyworkers work closely alongside locality management, to achieve the delivery of high-quality support for families. You will receive regular case supervision to support and guide the progression of your work with families. In addition, you will benefit from exposure to peer input and influences through your engagement in ‘mixed locality’ reflective discussion groups held on a monthly basis. As a service, we are continually seeking to develop our offer and input to children, young people and their families. We will support you to identify and access opportunities which promote your continuous professional development and enable you to engage with a wide breadth knowledge and learning.

About You

You will be a skilled, experienced and child-focussed practitioner, with a background of relationship-based work with children, young people and their families. You will be a confident practitioner, with broad understanding of child development. You will be able to tailor your knowledge to work with families across a wide age range, including expectant parents, early years, secondary transitions, adolescents and preparation for adulthood. You will be proficient in the undertaking of assessments and able to apply ‘whole family approach’ to the identification and understanding of need. We are looking for individuals who are skilled in the building and sustaining of relationships and able to engage families who may be hesitant or reluctant to work with the service. The work carries aspects of risk management due to the complex and often challenging nature of familial circumstances.

As a key work practitioner you will liaise closely with families, management and wider services to identify potential risks and devise relevant ‘safety plans’ where appropriate to do so. You will carry a mixed caseload of approximately 25 children and manage your work in accordance with Early Help practice standards. Candidates must therefore possess good skills of time management, whilst demonstrating an ability to prioritise the progression of key work tasks. The work itself can be highly rewarding, but also requires a level of responsiveness at times. Applicants with an ability to ‘flex’ and tailor your approach to given scenarios will be welcomed. To be considered for the post, it is essential that you have a proven record of building relationships, responding to crisis and delivering outcomes. It is a pre-requisite that you possess experience in family and/or adolescent work.

Essential Requirements

• Experience of undertaking effective decision making that leads to improved outcomes and reduces the risk of safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of systemic and strengths-based approaches
• Extensive knowledge about the wide range of Early Help support available across the continuum of need ranging from universal through to targeted services.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the research and evidence in relation to child development including issues affecting babies, children and young people’s vulnerability and resilience or sound knowledge in relation to the research.
• Knowledge of statutory services and relevant children’s legislation including a high awareness of child protection and safeguarding thresholds, indicators of need and procedures.

About Us

Croydon Council’s priorities

• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable
• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon’s diverse communities and businesses
• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors
• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice
• Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities

Key Business Plan Outcomes

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning
• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential
• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we’re proud to call home
• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer
• Croydon Council’s new ways of working

Equal Opportunities Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

The Successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check, if the role requires one.