Family Support Worker

Surrey County Council; Woking; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Surrey County Council is hiring a Family Support Worker to join a dynamic team dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. The role involves providing practical support and emotional assistance, ensuring families receive necessary interventions and promoting stability. This fixed-term position offers comprehensive training and a supportive work environment focused on children's welfare.

Benefits

26 days holiday, rising to 30 days after 5 years

Option to buy additional annual leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Generous pension scheme

Lifestyle discounts

2 paid volunteering days per year

Learning and development hub access

Qualifications

• Experience working with children and young people, contributing to positive outcomes.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Planning and managing a caseload effectively.

Responsibilities

• Assist children and families needing support, providing emotional assistance.
• Work alongside social workers to ensure families receive the best level of support.
• Prevent families from needing to transfer to statutory services.

Skills

Communication Skills

Teamwork

Engagement with Families

Education

Vocational qualifications level 3/4 or equivalent

Job description

• Category: Care - Children and Young People
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Working hours: 21.6 hours per week
• Posted on: 27 May 2025
• Closing date: 18 June 2025
• Location: Woking, Surrey

Description

This role has a starting salary of £19,507.20 per annum for 21.60 hours per week (full time equivalent £32,512 per annum).This is a fixed-term contract opportunity until July 2026.

We are excited to be hiring a new Family Support Worker to join our fantastic Assessment Team based in Woking. Our team has a positive and supportive culture where children and high standards of practice are at the heart of all we do.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families? Surrey's Children Services Assessment Team is looking for a Family Support Worker (FSW) to help create lasting, positive outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

We are a well-established, dynamic team committed to putting children and families at the heart of everything we do. Our work focuses on assessing needs, safeguarding children, and ensuring families receive the right support to promote stability and well-being.

• A Collaborative Environment: Work within a dedicated multi-disciplinary team alongside experienced Family Support Workers, Social Workers, Police, health and education.
• Professional Growth: Gain valuable experience working within an integrated team, broadening your skills and expertise in Children social care.
• Structured and Supportive Approach: We operate on a monthly duty rota per team, ensuring consistency, teamwork, and high-quality service delivery.

About the Role

As a Family Support Worker, you will play a vital role in assisting children and families who need support. You will work alongside social workers to provide early intervention, practical assistance, and emotional support to strengthen family relationships and promote stability. Your work will help prevent crises, ensure safeguarding, and empower families to navigate challenges with confidence.

Family Support Workers often provide interventions and support during the Child and Family process, with the goal of preventing families from having to transfer to other statutory services. Working both independently, and as part of the wider team, you will ensure plans are adhered to and families receive the best level of support.

Additionally, you will assist on duty, supporting Social Workers with contact work, gathering relevant information, and helping complete administrative tasks to ensure families can conclude their journey with a Social Worker in a timely manner. You will undertake direct work with children, parenting, and potentially group work, working in partnership and using your skills to engage with children in a meaningful way.

This is a varied and challenging role but one which is hugely important to the Assessment service and has real social impact. Surrey Children's Service provides training to ensure competence and professional development. We will ensure that you receive a full induction and monthly supervision.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Vocational qualifications level 3/4, or equivalent, in relevant field
• Understanding of relevant legislation affecting working with Children, including The Children Act (1989) and the Children and Families Act (2014)
• Experience of working with children and young people and able to show how this work has resulted in positives outcomes
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to plan, manage, and prioritise a caseload
• The ability to work effectively and flexibly as part of a team and a willingness to provide guidance and assistance to less experienced or more junior members of staff
• Ability to engage with families, carers and children, as well as support Social Workers in managing risk and effecting positive change

Whilst based in the Southwest area, this role will involve travel across other parts of Surrey as required, which will include the Northwest areas.

Contact us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 18/06/2025 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. OurLife at Surrey handbook provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.