Family Support Practitioner X 3

London Borough of Hounslow; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local governmental authority is seeking a Family Support Practitioner to support vulnerable children and families in Hounslow. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience working with families, strong relationship-building and communication skills, and a passion for safeguarding. Responsibilities include developing interventions, managing cases, and collaborating with various stakeholders to improve family outcomes. This is a full-time on-site position with competitive benefits.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package

Qualifications

• Substantial experience working with children of school age.
• DBS – Enhanced (3 years) with children barred list check required.

Responsibilities

• Work with children and families to improve functional outcomes.
• Develop and deliver support packages based on family assessments.
• Hold case responsibility for managing a caseload of approximately 12 cases.

Skills

Experience working with children and families

Relationship building skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Enthusiasm for safeguarding children

Education

Relevant qualifications in child welfare or related field

Job description

About Us

At Hounslow London Borough, we strive to provide excellent services to our residents and make lives as good as they can be. We are an outstanding council serving an outstanding borough with visionary leadership, a dynamic Cabinet and a can-do culture, built on strong partnerships that transform how we serve one of London’s most diverse boroughs. We are stepping up for our residents like never before.

About Our Commitment To Diversity And Inclusion

We live by five core values: Lead with Heart, Do New, Pass on the Power, Harness the Mix and Be a Rock. All our work has equality, diversity and inclusion at its heart, as articulated in “Harness the Mix.” We serve a diverse community, have a diverse workforce, and are committed to being an inclusive employer. We work to create representation across our workforce and leadership, have thriving employee networks, and offer learning and development programmes to address inequality, inequity, injustice and bias. We are a Disability Confident Employer and make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. You can tell us what you need within our application form.

Our Benefits

We offer a range of benefits to support our staff. Details are provided as part of the application process.

About The Role

Purpose of the Role

Family Support Practitioner

• To work with children and families to address multiple and complex needs, improving family functioning and resilience, reducing the need for statutory interventions.
• To develop, deliver and evaluate creative, robust and outcomes-led packages of intervention and support for children, young people and their families, based on whole family assessment.
• To provide an integrated response to meeting the needs of parents, children and young people through collaborative working with colleagues, partner agencies, young people and their families/carers.

Corporate:

Key Accountabilities

• To work effectively as part of the Council’s Safeguarding & Specialist Services, delivering corporate objectives through the work of the department.
• To act at all times in line with the professional standards of conduct and performance as defined by the L.B. Hounslow Code of Conduct.
• To participate in training ensuring own and team’s continuous professional development.
• To work according to the council’s data protection and confidentiality standards.

Functional

• To hold case responsibility for, manage and prioritise a caseload (approximately 12 cases), working alongside families in their homes and the community for up to six months.
• To support families to achieve change, build resilience and reach a point where the family can function effectively independent of targeted or specialist services.
• To support families to access and engage with mainstream services (e.g., raising awareness of services, signposting to appropriate services, supporting families to attend appointments and meetings, assisting with form completion and advocacy).
• To undertake whole family assessments in partnership with families and professionals to identify needs, risk, vulnerability and resilience factors for children and families.
• To develop holistic, outcome-based family plans based on assessment of need.
• To take on the role of “Lead Professional” and work as part of a “Team around the family” to coordinate plans and review progress with the professional network.
• To devise and provide 1:1 practical and emotional support programmes to strengthen family resilience and independence and enable families to solve problems within their own social networks.
• To work flexibly as required to meet the needs of families, including occasional early morning and evening working.
• To participate in a rota system for screening referrals and signposting to alternative provisions where appropriate.
• To work within the Local Authority’s policies for sharing information, reporting concerns and liaising with colleagues within the service.
• To keep up-to-date records of assessments, plans and work undertaken and provide written reports that are concise, informative and evidence-based.
• Prepare reports and contribute to action plans resulting from attendance at Child Protection Conferences, Core Groups and Child in Need meetings.
• To use supervision, training opportunities and team meetings to reflect on and ensure safe practice and develop communication and therapeutic skills when working with children, young people and families.

About The Team You’ll Be Working In

This role is placed in the Family Help Team.

About You

Key Responsibilities: Your primary focus will be supporting vulnerable children and young people in the London Borough of Hounslow. As a Family Support Practitioner, you\'ll assess and support our families in need. Do you think you have what it takes?

Your Skills:

• Substantial experience working with children, young people and their families.
• Relationship building and direct work skills.
• An enthusiasm and passion for safeguarding children and young people.
• Ability to deliver high-quality assessments, care plans and reports, and first-class communication and organisation skills.

Professional Qualifications: Substantial experience of working with children of school age.

Essential For The Role: DBS – Enhanced (3 years) with children barred list check.

We value diversity in its broadest sense and are committed to an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves, give their best, and reach their full potential. We welcome applications from all regardless of age, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. We will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate candidates.

This post is considered customer-facing and falls within the Code of Practice on English language requirements for public sector workers. The council has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure post holders have sufficient command of spoken English for the job requirements.

When Interviews Will Be Held And Who To Contact

The key information about the role is in the Role Profile. If you have questions, please contact us. Interviews will be held during the week commencing 20/10/2025. Internal candidates should seek line manager approval before applying for this role as a secondment.