Senior Family Help Practitioner

Suffolk County Council; Lowestoft; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Suffolk County Council in the United Kingdom is recruiting a Senior Family Help Practitioner to manage complex caseloads and act as Lead Professional for families. The role focuses on safeguarding and coordinated interventions to improve outcomes for children and families.

You will work within Family Help Teams, support peers, and use Signs of Safety to drive positive change. Flexible, hybrid working is available.

Qualifications

• Level 5 qualification or equivalent knowledge/experience.
• Direct work with children, young people and families.
• Experience supporting families with safeguarding concerns.
• Knowledge of solution-focused approaches and Signs of Safety.
• Ability to assess risk, manage complex situations and drive positive change.
• Confidence in building relationships and working with diverse professionals.

Responsibilities

• Act as Lead Professional for allocated children and families, coordinating support and interventions.
• Undertake Family Help Assessments and contribute to planning in Child in Need and Child Protection.
• Hold a complex caseload and manage risk to support sustainable improvements.
• Build strong working relationships with children, families, carers and partner agencies.
• Chair multi-agency meetings and family network meetings to review progress.
• Use Signs of Safety and Wellbeing to support strengths-based practice.
• Provide guidance and role-modelling to colleagues; support continuous improvement.

Skills

Lead Professional

Child & Family Work

Multi-agency Collaboration

Risk Assessment

Education

Level 5 qualification

Job description

• Suffolk County Council


• Address: Ipswich IP1 2BX / Felixstowe IP11 2JB / Lowestoft NR33 0EQ - Hybrid


• Salary: £34,434 per annum (pro rata for part time)


• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available


• Contract: Permanent

Reimagine the possibilities

Are you an experienced practitioner looking for your next step in Children and Young People's Services?

This is an exciting opportunity for practitioners who are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children and families and are ready to take on greater responsibility within Family Help.

As a Senior Family Help Practitioner, you'll play a key role in supporting children, young people and families experiencing complex needs. You'll hold a more complex caseload, act as lead professional for allocated families, support colleagues through advice and guidance, and help drive high-quality practice across the team.

This role provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your practice, leadership and multi-agency working skills while making a meaningful difference to children and families across Suffolk.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Senior Family Help Practitioner, you will:

• act as Lead Professional for allocated children and families, coordinating support and interventions to improve outcomes


• undertake Family Help Assessments and contribute to Child in Need and Child Protection planning where appropriate


• hold a complex caseload, managing risk and supporting families to make sustainable improvements in their lives


• build strong working relationships with children, families, carers and partner agencies


• chair multi-agency meetings and family network meetings to review progress and coordinate plans


• use Suffolk Signs of Safety and Wellbeing principles to support strengths-based, solution-focused practice


• provide advice, guidance and role-modelling to colleagues, supporting continuous improvement across the team


• support peer supervision, mentoring and learning activities to strengthen practice.

About the team

At Suffolk County Council, we aspire for every child in Suffolk to live their best life. The Children and Young People's Directorate continues to improve and develop services that deliver sustainable change for children, young people and their families.

Family Help Teams are multi-disciplinary teams made up of social workers and alternatively qualified practitioners, supported by two Team Managers. They undertake assessments and planning for children receiving Targeted Early Help, Child in Need and Child Protection services and support children when they first enter care.

This is a supportive and collaborative service that values professional development, high-quality practice and continuous learning.

What you will need

We're looking for someone who is ready to build on their existing experience and take the next step in their professional journey.

Ideally you will have:

• a Level 5 qualification, or equivalent knowledge and experience in a relevant area of work


• experience of direct work with children, young people and families


• experience of supporting families where safeguarding concerns exist


• knowledge of solution-focused approaches, including Signs of Safety


• the ability to assess risk, manage complex situations and support positive change for families


• confidence in building relationships, influencing others and working collaboratively with a range of professionals and agencies


• strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload effectively


• due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence and access to personal transport. If you feel you can meet these travel requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager before applying to discuss.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don't meet every requirement, we would love to hear from you.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information

Please contact Steve Blaney, for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01502674649 or emailing [e-mail]

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please readour guidance for using AI to understandwhat’sacceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at [e-mail] or 03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments onour Reasonable Adjustment pages.

Closing date: 11.30pm, 14 September 2026.

Interview date: 22 and 23 September 2026.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.