Family Time Worker

Milton Keynes City Council; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Local government pension

Family friendly policies

Employee benefits programme

Car salary sacrifice

Blue Light Card

Job summary

Milton Keynes City Council is seeking a Family Time Worker to support children and families within our Children's Social Care service. You will accompany families during Family Time sessions, observe interactions, and produce clear records.

You will offer guidance, act on safeguarding concerns, and work with colleagues to safeguard children. The role is site-based, requiring presence at the designated workplace, with the possibility of varied settings and involvement in Family Time Centres.

Qualifications

• Experience in direct family support work, ideally 1–2 years.
• Ability to observe interactions and record accurately.
• Awareness of safeguarding procedures and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Remain with assigned family during each Family Time session.
• Observe interactions and produce clear, factual records.
• Provide appropriate advice and escalate safeguarding concerns.
• Work with others to support child safety decisions.
• Prepare rooms and contribute to service development.

Skills

Direct family support

Record keeping

Safeguarding awareness

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Experience in family support work

Job description

Job Introduction

We're recruiting a Family Time Worker to join our Children's Social Care service. You'll help children and young people spend safe, supported and meaningful time with their parents or carers. You'll remain with an assigned family throughout each session, observing their interactions and producing clear, factual records. You'll provide advice when needed and take appropriate action if you identify a concern about a child or young person's safety. Your work will help families enjoy quality time together while ensuring that children's needs and wellbeing remain at the centre of every session. You'll need practical knowledge, skills and experience of direct family support work, including an understanding of the local authority's responsibilities towards children. This is a rewarding front-line role that involves working with families from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances. The role may involve working in different settings, including our Family Time Centres.

Site-Based role

This is a Site-Based role, and you'll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Interviews for this role will be held on 6th November 2026

At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We're dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive. Find out more about working with us here: www.mkcounciljobs.org.uk

Main Responsibility

• Remain with your assigned family throughout each Family Time session and help children, young people, parents and carers feel supported.
• Observe family interactions and produce accurate, factual records of each session.
• Respond promptly to safeguarding concerns, follow agreed procedures and immediately report concerns to a senior colleague.
• Work with senior colleagues and other professionals so that informed decisions can be made about a child or young person's safety.
• Offer parents and carers appropriate advice and guidance to support positive interactions with their children.
• Review relevant information before each session, prepare suitable rooms and contribute to service development through feedback, team discussions and training.

The Ideal Candidate

• Practical knowledge, skills and demonstrable experience of direct family support work, normally developed through one to two years of relevant work experience and focused learning.
• Comfortable working with people from different backgrounds and able to adapt your approach to each family's circumstances.
• A calm and supportive communicator who can listen carefully, observe interactions and explain information clearly.
• Confident producing accurate written records and sharing important information with colleagues and other professionals.
• Collaborative in your approach, with the ability to work reliably as part of a wider team supporting children and families.
• Committed to safeguarding children and young people, following procedures and working in a dedicated, respectful and professional way.

Safer Recruitment

Safer Recruitment applies to this role. This means that, before any appointment is confirmed, we'll carry out a range of pre-employment checks to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults. These checks may include identity verification, where candidates will be required to provide original identification documents, including a full birth certificate, employment history and reference checks, qualification checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service). check where required.

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can lease an electric or low-emission vehicle at a reduced cost through salary sacrifice, subject to National Minimum Wage and other eligibility requirements.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes

Roles are either 'site based' or 'home based'.

Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs. Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week. The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.

We're very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it's time for a new role.

If you'd like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council, see attached.

Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have an independent and unrestricted right to work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.