Family Time Worker

Wollborg Michelson Personnel Service Inc; Cannock; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a Family Time Worker to support children in foster care, helping them understand their birth identity and supervising time with birth parents. You’ll promote positive relationships and offer parenting guidance, modelling positive interaction for families.

The role includes transporting children around the county, weekend cover on a 1 in 4 rota, and flexible evenings. Prior experience with vulnerable children and safeguarding is essential.

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 in working with children and families or equivalent experience.
• Experience in direct work with children and families in statutory or voluntary sectors.
• Understanding of child development and trauma effects.
• Knowledge of relevant child care policies and legislation.
• Owns a car with a driving licence.
• Willingness to work evenings and some weekends.
• Able to communicate with children and families and build relationships.
• Capable of working in conflict situations.
• IT skills including Microsoft packages are desirable.

Responsibilities

• facilitate therapeutic family time between children and their parents or other family members.
• coordinate arrangements for family time for children and their parents or other family members as directed by court
• transport children and young people to attend family time.
• provide parenting support and guidance during family time.
• support the completion of accurate documentation, reports, and records in relation to children, young people, and families.
• be available outside of traditional working patterns including evenings and weekends to provide support to children, families, and carers when it is needed.

Skills

Experience with children & families

Child development understanding

Policies & legislation knowledge

Driving licence & car access

Evenings & weekend flexibility

Communication skills

Relationship building & interventions

Conflict management

IT basic skills (MS Office)

Education

NVQ 3 in working with children & families

Job description

The Ideal Candidate

Staffordshire County Council, Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives if children who are placed in local authority foster care? As a Family Time Worker, you’ll play a critical role in supporting children in understanding their birth identity and supervising their time with birth parents. We’re looking for people to join us with the skills to encourage and help maintain positive relationships between children and parents. We work with very vulnerable children so we must ensure we maintain professional relationships whilst managing complex family needs and behaviours. You'll play a vital role in supporting families for them to spend quality time together. Our aim during family time is to promote a positive and meaningful time for children with their family. This could include offering support, guidance, and parenting advice or modelling positive interaction and behaviours. Our family time workers are required to transport the children around the county and further afield. There is a weekend rota and 1 in 4 weekends are worked to support our families.

Main Responsibilities

• facilitate therapeutic family time between children and their parents or other family members.
• coordinate arrangements for family time for children and their parents or other family members as directed by court
• transport children and young people to attend family time.
• provide parenting support and guidance during family time.
• support the completion of accurate documentation, reports, and records in relation to children, young people, and families.
• be available outside of traditional working patterns including evenings and weekends to provide support to children, families, and carers when it is needed.

Minimum Criteria

• a minimum NVQ 3 in working with children and families or equivalent experience of working with children and families.
• Experience of direct work with children, their families, and carers in a statutory or voluntary agency which provides services to vulnerable children and their families.
• An understanding of child development and the effect of stress and trauma on child development.
• An understanding of the key pieces of policies, guidance, and legislation which govern children’s social care.
• Have unrestricted use of a car and a driving licence.
• Be flexible to work evenings and occasional weekends as needed.
• The ability to effectively communicate with children, their families, and carers.
• The ability to build relationships and deliver interventions to children, families, and carers.
• The ability to work effectively in conflict situations.

Previous experience in the use of IT including Microsoft packages would also be desirable

This role is currently subject to a review of weekend working arrangements, including any paid enhancements.

We’re happy to talk flexible working

Our Recruitment Process

We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

For information, please note that there is currently an ongoing review within Children and Families to realign individual teams and the wider team’s ways of working. As a result, this role may be affected by the review. For further information, please speak to the hiring manager.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council: The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy. We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our Benefits

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.