Family Help Practitioner

Suffolk County Council; Lowestoft; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Suffolk County Council invites applications for a CwD Family Help Practitioner based in the County Children & Young People Disability Service. You’ll work in Team Around the Family, hybrid and community based, supporting children with disabilities and their families, driving improvements.

Responsibilities include lead professional duties, home visits and assessments using Signs of Safety, providing practical and emotional support, and collaboration with social workers and health colleagues.

Qualifications

• A Level 4 practitioner qualification or equivalent experience.
• A strong commitment to Suffolk’s WE ASPIRE values.
• Understanding of early intervention, prevention and child development.
• Experience working directly with children and families, including those with complex needs or safeguarding concerns.
• Ability to identify risks, communicate effectively and work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals.

Responsibilities

• Act as the CwD lead professional for families, building trusted relationships and developing meaningful plans.
• Carry out home visits, assessments and planned interventions using Signs of Safety and Wellbeing framework.
• Provide practical and emotional support to help families navigate issues.
• Collaborate with social workers, health colleagues and other agencies for coordinated support.
• Maintain clear, accurate case records and ensure safeguarding concerns are elevated appropriately.
• Organise workload, problem solve and participate in multi‑agency meetings.

Skills

Communication

Risk assessment

Collaboration

Driving licence

Education

A Level 4 practitioner qualification or equivalent

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU, Ipswich IP1 2BX or Lowestoft NR33 0EQ - Hybridand community based
• Salary:£29,542 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours:37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract:Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change. As aChildren with Disabilities Family Help Practitioner in theCounty Children & Young People Disability Service, based within Team Around the Family, you’ll see the direct impact of your work with children and young people with disabilities and their families which makes Suffolk special. Join us and turn your passion for childhood disability and positive change into action.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

As a CwD (Children with Disabilities) Family Help Practitioner, you’ll play a key role in supporting children, young people and families to achieve positive and lasting change.

In this role you will:

• act as theCwD lead professionalfor families, building trusted relationships and working collaboratively to understand needs and develop meaningful plans.
• carry outhome visits, assessments and planned interventions, using the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing framework to guide your approach.
• provide practical and emotional support, helping families navigate early signs of social, emotional, health or behavioural issues.
• work alongside social workers, health colleagues and other agencies to provide coordinated support.
• maintain clear, accurate and timely case records, making sure every child’s story is captured respectfully and professionally.
• recognise safeguarding concerns and elevate them appropriately with support and oversight from management.
• You’ll organise your own workload, problem solve effectively and contribute to group or multi-agency meetings.

Every day, you’ll be helping families move towards strength, resilience and safety.

You will need:

We hope you’ll bring:

• A Level 4 practitioner qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant area of work.
• A strong commitment to Suffolk’s WE ASPIRE values.
• An understanding of early intervention, prevention and child development.
• Experience working directly with children and families, including those with complex needs or safeguarding concerns.
• Confidence in delivering evidence‑based interventions and working creatively to help families make changes.
• The ability to identify risks, communicate effectively and work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals.

Due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence and access to personal transport. If you feel you can meet these travel requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager before applying to discuss.

Take a look at what makes ourIdeal Worker, shaped by the voices of young people:find out more.

Even if you don’t meet every criterion, we encourage you to apply — we would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

You’ll join one of our dedicatedCwD Family Help Teams- multi‑disciplinary groups of social workers and occupational therapist committed to improving outcomes for children and young people across Suffolk.

We work creatively, collaboratively and with compassion, always striving to ensure every child and young person with disabilities can live their best life.

Hybrid working, community engagement and flexible approaches are all part of how we operate.

Empowering Everyone

We are big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We are always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in ourWorkforce Equality Report.

For more information

For a casual chat about the role, please email [e-mail] or contact Fran Arnold by calling 01473264620.

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 4 October 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid