Kinship Family Support / Resource Worker

North East Combined Authority; Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Middlesbrough Council in the Tees Valley region is offering a Kinship Family Support / Resource Worker role, focused on helping children and kinship carers access appropriate support and services. You will work with social workers to promote change, maintain records and ensure family stability, sometimes outside office hours.

The post involves working across Middlesbrough and possibly out of county, with duties spanning safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and family engagement.

Responsibilities

• To work alongside experienced Social Workers to offer a greater intensity of support to young people and Kinship carers and identify what individuals need and how best to support them and prevent escalation of risk.
• To take a systemic approach and focus on effecting sustained change to improve the life chances of children in Kinship Care, focusing on the whole family dynamics (when appropriate).
• Supporting Kinship Carers and young people to engage in family group conferences, care teams or Cared for Reviews, meetings with education with the aim of achieving placement stability.
• To work within a framework that is firmly underpinned by the principle of strengths based relational Social Work and address behaviours linked to, or because of, adult and childhood trauma and compromised child/parental relationships and capacity.
• To contribute to ongoing assessments, statutory reviews and achieving sustained outcomes for children, young people and Kinship Carers.
• To support carer development through training, one to one and support groups to Kinship Carers.
• To support Kinship Carers in understanding why children and young people may engage in risk behaviours, make poor choices and a lack of consequential thinking whilst facing the pressure from external influences such as peers and social media.
• To engage young people (teenagers) who are deemed at risk of not meeting their potential through disengaging with education, misusing alcohol and substances, involvement with crime and or anti-social behaviour or have health issues that are impacting upon their lifestyle and choices and re-engage them in pro social activities.
• To maintain appropriate records on the social care database and adhere to national and LA guidance on confidentiality and information-sharing.
• To maintain high professional standards and a commitment to developing knowledge of local, regional and national provision for children, young people and families, along with knowledge of new legislation, research and good practice.
• To work within a flexible framework to deliver intervention to children and kinship carers, will include some evenings and early mornings.
• Such other responsibilities allocated which are appropriate to the grade of the post.
• There may be times when you are required to support families and carers around facilitating family time.
• This will include working with young people to understand their life journey through creating life story books.

Job description

We have an exciting role on offer within our Children’s service as a Kinship Family Support / Resource Worker.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting children, young people, and their Kinship carers to deliver support and services, which promote change and development and meet physical, emotional, intellectual, behavioural, health, social and cultural needs. This will include working with children and young people who can display challenging behaviour, complex emotional issues, mental health disorders and other additional/special needs. This passion for working with Kinship carers, children and young people also involves supporting foster carers to develop their parenting skills and empowering them to make sustainable and positive changes for the placement to succeed.

You will be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of the children, young people, and their families and carers. Part of the role may include being able to undertake emergency on call and crisis intervention work and work outside normal office hours.

You will need to be willing to work across Middlesbrough and at times out of county working from Children’s Centre’s, specialised rooms or within the family home.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To work alongside experienced Social Workers to offer a greater intensity of support to young people and Kinship carers and identify what individuals need and how best to support them and prevent escalation of risk.
• To take a systemic approach and focus on effecting sustained change to improve the life chances of children in Kinship Care, focusing on the whole family dynamics (when appropriate).
• Supporting Kinship Carers and young people to engage in family group conferences, care teams or Cared for Reviews, meetings with education with the aim of achieving placement stability.
• To work within a framework that is firmly underpinned by the principle of strengths based relational Social Work and address behaviours linked to, or because of, adult and childhood trauma and compromised child/parental relationships and capacity.
• To contribute to ongoing assessments, statutory reviews and achieving sustained outcomes for children, young people and Kinship Carers.
• To support carer development through training, one to one and support groups to Kinship Carers.
• To support Kinship Carers in understanding why children and young people may engage in risk behaviours, make poor choices and a lack of consequential thinking whilst facing the pressure from external influences such as peers and social media.
• To engage young people (teenagers) who are deemed at risk of not meeting their potential through disengaging with education, misusing alcohol and substances, involvement with crime and or anti-social behaviour or have health issues that are impacting upon their lifestyle and choices and re-engage them in pro social activities.
• To maintain appropriate records on the social care database and adhere to national and LA guidance on confidentiality and information-sharing.
• To maintain high professional standards and a commitment to developing knowledge of local, regional and national provision for children, young people and families, along with knowledge of new legislation, research and good practice.
• To work within a flexible framework to deliver intervention to children and kinship carers, will include some evenings and early mornings.
• Such other responsibilities allocated which are appropriate to the grade of the post.
• There may be times when you are required to support families and carers around facilitating family time.
• This will include working with young people to understand their life journey through creating life story books.

If this is you, this may be the opportunity you are looking for!

Please note Middlesbrough Council do not currently offer sponsorships.

The above post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.