Family Support Worker - Early Help

Tripod Partners; Essex; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority is seeking a skilled Family Support Officer to join the Early Help team. The successful candidate will be responsible for safeguarding children, providing structured support to families, and coordinating services to address various challenges affecting parenting. This role requires excellent communication and organizational skills, along with experience in direct support for children and families. If you are passionate about making a difference in the community, we want to hear from you.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in providing direct support and intervention to vulnerable children and families.
• Strong understanding of Early Help assessment frameworks and local safeguarding procedures.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize effectively.

Responsibilities

• Promote safeguarding procedures for children.
• Provide structured support with tailored plans for families.
• Coordinate services and lead on Team Around the Child meetings.
• Support parents with practical issues affecting parenting.
• Deliver parenting group sessions to enhance parenting skills.
• Collaborate seamlessly with schools and health services.
• Maintain accurate records in compliance with requirements.

Skills

Direct support to vulnerable children and families

Knowledge of Early Help principles

Excellent communication skills

Negotiation skills

Report-writing skills

Ability to manage a complex caseload

Education

Qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, or Family Support

Job description

Family Support Officer – Early Help team

London Borough of Hackney

Up to £25 per hour

About the Role

The London Borough of Hackney is seeking a highly skilled and passionate Family Support Officer in the Early Help team to join our dedicated Multi‑Agency Team (MAT). If you are committed to safeguarding children and empowering families to achieve positive, sustainable change, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

As a Family Support Officer, you will be expected to:

• Safeguard Children: Promote an environment that actively safeguards and protects children, taking full responsibility for ensuring that all appropriate safeguarding procedures are rigorously adhered to.


• Assessment and Planning: Provide structured and individual support to children and families using appropriate assessment tools, specifically Hackney’s Early Help Assessment Form, to create tailored individual plans with clear, agreed outcomes, targets, and review dates.


• Lead Professional: Act as the Lead Professional for individual families, coordinating services, sharing essential information at MAT Meetings, and supporting and leading on Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings.


• Targeted Support: Support parents/carers in their care of their children through targeted work delivered in the home, through group work, and coordinated services. This includes providing practical support to address underlying barriers, such as complex housing and financial matters, that impact effective parenting.


• Group Delivery: Coordinate and deliver structured parenting groups to support parents and carers in developing a deeper understanding of their child’s needs and strengthening their overall parenting skills and confidence.


• Collaboration: Work seamlessly with schools, health services, voluntary organisations, and other partners to ensure a holistic, joined‑up approach to family support.


• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed records in line with statutory and organisational requirements.

What You Will Bring

• Proven experience in providing direct support and intervention to vulnerable children and families.


• A strong working knowledge of Early Help principles, assessment frameworks, and local safeguarding procedures.


• Excellent communication, negotiation, and report‑writing skills.


• The ability to work independently, manage a complex caseload, and prioritise effectively.


• A relevant qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, Family Support, or a related field (desirable).