Family Information Service Assistant

EMEA3 Recruitment; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer Pension Contribution 15%

Annual leave 33 days

Job summary

West Sussex County Council’s Family Information Service is seeking a dedicated Family Information Service Assistant to provide high-quality information, advice and guidance to families. This hybrid role combines office and home-based working, with structured hours and a focus on excellent service delivery.

You will respond to day-to-day queries from the public and partners, update records accurately and support families to access childcare options and funding entitlements, while safeguarding and

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and ability to provide clear information, advice and guidance.
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills to support families and childcare settings.
• Ability to work independently with commitment to supporting families.
• Professional approach handling sensitive and confidential matters.
• Reliable, efficient and flexible team player with attention to detail.
• Proficient IT skills, including Microsoft Office and databases.

Responsibilities

• Triage incoming requests from families/providers and determine next steps.
• Provide specialist advice on childcare options and funding entitlements.
• Accurately update systems and maintain high-quality records.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and escalate appropriately.
• Provide advice and guidance on complaints.
• Perform complex financial calculations and flag irregularities.
• Help broker childcare places for families facing access challenges.
• Create engaging social media content to connect with families and share information.

Skills

Excellent communication

Interpersonal skills

Active listening

Teamwork

Independent working

Attention to detail

IT proficiency

Job description

The Opportunity

Due to internal promotion, we are now seeking to recruit a full-time Family Information Service Assistant.

Salary: NJC Grade 6 £27,254 to £28,598 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time, Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 5.00pm and Friday 9.00am to 4.30pm

Location: Northleigh, Chichester, with hybrid working (days in office are currently Tuesday and Wednesday)

Closing date: 15 September 2026

Interview date: 02 October 2026

Are you confident in providing excellent customer service and delivering information, advice and guidance?

Are you empathetic and pro-active when dealing with sensitive issues or challenging situations?

Do you enjoy interacting with a range of customers via phone and email, and helping families to provide the best start in life for their children?

If you are looking for the next challenge in your career, find out more about this fantastic opportunity below.

The Family Information Service is working hard to meet growing demand as we roll out the government’s expansion of childcare. We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic individual who prides themselves on their customer service skills, to join us as a Family Information Service Assistant, helping to improve the lives of families across the county.

In this varied and rewarding role, you will use your excellent customer service skills to respond to day-to-day problems and complex queries from the public and partners.

This is a hybrid role, with a mix of office and home-based working. You will need to be comfortable handling frequent phone calls and working at a desk for extended periods.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

• Triage incoming requests directly from families or providers and make an evaluation of next steps, assessing the correct course of action.
• Provide specialist advice on childcare options and funding entitlements.
• Accurately update systems and maintain high-quality records.
• Identify and escalade safeguarding or concerns appropriately.
• Provide advice and guidance on complaints.
• Complete complex financial calculations, identifying any risk of irregularity and flagging it accordingly.
• Help broker childcare places for families facing challenges in accessing provision.
• Create engaging social media content to connect with families, share useful information and promote services.

If you are passionate about making a difference for families and thrive in a fast-paced, supportive environment, we’d love to hear from you.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of age, gender, or any other protected characteristic.

About You

We are looking for:

• Superb relationship building with a range of customers and colleagues.
• Interpersonal and communication skills to provide clear and concise information, advice, and guidance.
• Use of own initiative to work independently with a commitment to supporting families.
• A professional approach, as at times you may deal with highly sensitive and confidential matters.
• A reliable, efficient, and flexible individual who enjoys being part of a team.
• Attention to detail.
• Being adept at using IT software confidently.

Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.

Key Skills:

1. Excellent communication skills in order to communicate technical / statutory information to customers in a way that is meaningful; interact effectively with a range of audiences, with the ability to present information verbally and in writing, which is clear, concise, accurate and impartial. Act as a point of specialist information, advice and guidance, responding sensitively to enquiries via telephone and email. Able to act with discretion when working with confidential and sensitive information.
2. Good interpersonal and active listening skills with the ability to confidently build relationships and support families and childcare settings, understanding their needs, e.g. dealing with complex queries or family issues, and the ability to respond appropriately to challenging behaviour such as aggressive or distressed individuals, those presenting with mental health characteristics, vulnerability, and where English is not their first language.
3. Ability to work as part of a team, completing shared tasks in order to deliver a service to others and meet set deadlines.
4. Analytical and judgement skills in order to effectively assist with customer queries. Use initiative to find solutions and avoid complaints, but also to understand when problems need to be referred upwards, e.g. safeguarding queries or when issues need escalating.
5. High level literacy and numeracy skills in order to understand complex information and carry out funding calculations.
6. Proficient IT skills, using Microsoft Office Suite, in order to be able to use and accurately maintain the service’s computerised databases, online provider portal, photocopiers, scanners and the internet.

For more information on the Responsibilities of the role, Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About Us

The Family Information Service (FIS) provides information, advice and guidance to parents and carers of 0-25-year-olds on Ofsted registered childcare, childcare funding, family activities and support services. We are a statutory service meeting duties within the Childcare Act 2006.

Our service plays a key role for many families, especially working parents or those wishing to return to work or undertake training. In turn this supports a sustainable and prosperous economy across the county, enabling families to fulfil their potential.

To ensure this service functions well, the Family Information Service Assistant needs to be multiskilled to support a wide range of customers.

Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

Employer Pension Contribution:15% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year)

Annual leave:25 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 33 days

Safeguarding statement

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to three years referencing, and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact Natalie Greene, Recruitment Specialist, at [e-mail]