Intensive Support Worker - Futures Matter

WMJobs; Stafford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking an Edge of Care Practitioner to deliver intensive support to children and families aged 8-18, aiming to prevent family breakdown and support reunification where appropriate.

You will develop tailored plans, undertake direct work with families, and work alongside Social Workers and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes, while maintaining high-quality records and contributing to service development.

Qualifications

• Experience working directly with children, young people and families to address needs.
• Knowledge of restorative, relational and strengths-based practice.
• Strong assessment, planning, recording and communication skills.
• Commitment to continuous learning and development (Level 3 NVQ in Childcare or equivalent).
• Hold a full UK driving licence and be able to work flexible hours.

Responsibilities

• Deliver intensive support to children and young people aged 8-18 and families to prevent entry to care.
• Develop and implement tailored support plans to enable safe home or planned reunification.
• Undertake direct work addressing identified needs and improve family functioning.
• Collaborate with Social Workers, families and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes.
• Maintain accurate records and reports in line with standards and statutory requirements.
• Participate in duty system and respond to referrals and emerging needs.
• Contribute to team meetings, supervision, training and service development.

Skills

Experience with children & families

Relational practice

Assessment & planning

Communication skills

Driving licence

Education

Level 3 NVQ in Childcare

Job description

Staffordshire County Council,

Make a real difference to children and families across Staffordshire.

Our Edge of Care Team works alongside children, young people, and families during some of the most challenging periods of their lives. We provide intensive, relationship-based support to prevent family breakdown, reduce the need for children to enter care, and support safe and sustainable reunification where returning home is the agreed plan.

As part of our skilled, experienced, and supportive team, you will deliver impactful interventions, build meaningful relationships with children and families, and work collaboratively with a range of professionals to achieve positive outcomes. We are committed to supporting development through regular supervision, training, and access to a comprehensive suite of evidence-based resources to achieve positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

Main Responsibilities

As an Edge of Care Practitioner, you will:

• Deliver intensive support to children and young people aged 8-18 and their families to prevent family breakdown and reduce the need for children to enter care.
• Develop and implement tailored support plans that help children and young people remain safely at home or successfully return home where reunification is the agreed plan.
• Undertake direct work with children, young people, and families, providing interventions that address identified needs and improve family functioning.
• Work collaboratively with Social Workers, families, and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Undertake targeted interventions and direct work with children, young people, and family members to support the progression of family time, successful reunification planning, and the reassessment of family members to inform permanency planning and decision-making.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and high-quality recordings and reports in line with service standards and statutory requirements.
• Participate in the team's duty system and respond effectively to referrals and emerging family needs.
• Contribute to team meetings, supervision, training, and the ongoing development of the service.
• Promote the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of children and young people at all times.

The Ideal Candidate

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

• Experience working directly with children, young people and families, building positive relationships and delivering effective interventions to address a range of needs and challenges.
• Skilled in engaging and supporting families experiencing vulnerability, relationship breakdown, exploitation or other complex circumstances, using high support and high challenge approaches.
• Knowledge and application of restorative, relational, strengths-based and solution-focused practice to improve family relationships, resilience and outcomes.
• Strong assessment, planning, recording and communication skills, with the ability to work independently and contribute positively within a collaborative team environment.
• Qualified to Level 3 NVQ in Childcare (or equivalent relevant qualification) and committed to continuous learning and professional development.
• Hold a full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle, and able to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends on a rota basis to meet the needs of children and families.

Interviews will be held on 23rd November 2026 at Staffordshire Place 1, Tipping Street, Stafford.

For more information about this vacancy or for an informal chat please contact [e-mail] or 07815 999066.

Our Recruitment Process:

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

Please note: The minimum essential criteria in the ideal section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

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.