Senior Early Help Worker

Kent County Council; Ashford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Ashford is seeking a Senior Early Help Worker to lead early help interventions for vulnerable children and families. Responsibilities include managing a complex caseload, supervising staff, and collaborating with multi-agency partners. Ideal candidates will have a Level 4 qualification in a relevant field and experience working directly with children. This role requires excellent communication and leadership skills, supporting a commitment to improve outcomes for families in need.

Qualifications

• Level 4 or above qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, or equivalent.
• Proven post-qualification experience with children, young people, and families.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex caseloads and develop whole-family plans.
• Provide direct interventions using evidence-based tools.
• Supervise and mentor Early Help Workers.
• Collaborate with schools and health professionals.

Skills

Excellent communication

Leadership

People management

Risk assessment

Organisational skills

Problem-solving

Multi-agency partnership

Flexibility

Education

Level 4 qualification in a relevant field

Job description

Role Responsibility

To lead and deliver early help interventions and targeted support to vulnerable children, young people, and their families. The Senior Early Help Worker manages a complex caseload, provides supervision and guidance to Early Help Workers, and ensures high-quality, evidence-based practice to improve outcomes and prevent escalation to statutory services.

Responsibilities

• Case Management: Hold and manage a caseload of complex cases, conducting comprehensive assessments and developing whole-family plans with SMART objectives.
• Direct Work: Deliver direct interventions to children, young people, and families, using evidence-based tools and approaches (including trauma-informed practice).
• Supervision & Leadership: Support, supervise, and mentor Early Help Workers, providing professional guidance and ensuring best practice.
• Multi-Agency Working: Work collaboratively with schools, health professionals, social care, police, and voluntary sector partners to coordinate support and achieve the best outcomes.
• Safeguarding: Identify and manage risks, ensuring safeguarding concerns are addressed and escalated appropriately.
• Performance & Quality: Monitor and review family plans, contribute to service improvement, and ensure accurate, timely case recording.
• Service Development: Support the Unit Lead in developing and implementing innovative, evidence-based practice and contribute to workforce development.
• Reporting: Prepare high-quality reports and represent the service at meetings and forums as required

Qualifications

• Level 4 or above qualification in a relevant field (e.g., Social Work, Youth Work, Education, Guidance, or equivalent)
• To have proven post-qualification experience working with children, young people, and families.

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of child development, adolescent risk, safeguarding, and trauma-informed approaches.
• Familiarity with early help frameworks, assessment tools, and relevant legislation.

Skills

• Excellent communication, leadership, and people management skills.
• Ability to assess risk, develop and review plans, and manage complex situations.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving, and multi-agency partnership skills.
• Ability to work flexibly, including travel and occasional out-of-hours work.

Personal Qualities

• Compassionate, resilient, and committed to empowering families and supporting colleagues.
• Motivated, collaborative, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, people-focused environment.

Criteria

• Experience in supervising or mentoring staff.
• Additional training in safeguarding, trauma-informed practice, or family intervention.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English / Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description / Person Specification.