Senior Support Worker – HOTH Intervention Team

South Gloucestershire Council; West of England; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Wellbeing support

Staff discounts

Training and development

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council is seeking a Senior Support Worker in the HOTH Intervention team to provide expert consultation and targeted trauma-informed support for safeguarding concerns involving children and young people aged 11-18. You will work within a centralised, non-case-holding team delivering risk assessment, intervention planning and practice guidance to colleagues and partner agencies.

You will supervise staff, conduct specialist direct work, and contribute to training and

Qualifications

• Hold or be working towards a professional qualification such as a degree, NVQ Level 4 or equivalent relevant to services for children and young people.
• Significant experience working with vulnerable children, young people or families, including evidence-based interventions in complex safeguarding situations.
• Ability to supervise and guide staff, use professional judgement, undertake risk assessments and respond confidently to contextual safeguarding concerns.
• Good understanding of relevant legislation, safeguarding procedures, adolescent risk and trauma-informed practice.
• Knowledge of exploitation-focused work, group interventions or community-based responses would be valuable.
• Strong communication, partnership working, report writing and IT skills; ability to chair meetings and advise professionals clearly.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert consultation and targeted intervention for safeguarding concerns.
• Supervise and guide Support Workers to develop consistent practice.
• Undertake specialist direct work including safety planning and contextual assessments.
• Advise practitioners on intervention, escalation, risk management and mapping.
• Deliver training, group work and preventative activities with partners and schools.

Skills

Supervision experience

Risk assessments

Trauma-informed practice

Safeguarding knowledge

Communication skills

Report writing

IT skills

Chair meetings

Education

Degree or NVQ Level 4 in children/young people services

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

How you'll make a difference

Join a specialist service helping children and young people aged 11-18 stay safer from harm outside the home. As a Senior Support Worker within the HOTH Intervention team, you will provide expert consultation, targeted intervention and trauma-informed support in response to criminal and sexual exploitation, peer-on-peer harm, serious youth violence and online harm.

Working within a centralised, non-case-holding team, you will support children already allocated to Family Help or Children in Care services. Alongside providing tailored support, you will offer guidance and practice support to colleagues, helping to strengthen safeguarding practice across the wider workforce.

What you will be doing

Providing specialist analysis and consultation so contextual risks are identified, understood and responded to effectively. You will work closely with Family Help Lead Practitioners, Children in Care Social Workers, schools and partner agencies, helping shape time-limited interventions around individual children, peer groups, locations and emerging themes.

Working under the direction of the HOTH Intervention Team Manager, you will use professional judgement to respond to complex safeguarding situations, managing risk effectively and escalating concerns where appropriate.

• Alongside your direct intervention work, you will provide day-to-day supervision and practice guidance to Support Workers, helping to develop skilled, reflective and consistent practice across the team.
• You will undertake specialist direct work, including safety planning, healthy relationships work, contextual assessments and Return Home Interviews.
• Utilising your professional expertise, you will advise practitioners and partners on intervention, escalation, risk management, case formulation and mapping.
• A key aspect of the role is delivering training, group work and preventative activity with the Violence Reduction Partnership, schools and regional partners.
• You will bring an organised and analytical approach to bespoke intervention plans, performance monitoring, accurate recording and timely safeguarding action.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold, or are working towards, a professional qualification such as a degree, NVQ Level 4 or equivalent relevant to services for children and young people.
• We are looking for someone who has significant experience of working with vulnerable children, young people or families, including evidence-based interventions in complex safeguarding situations.
• You will be able to supervise and guide staff, use professional judgement, undertake risk assessments and respond confidently to contextual safeguarding concerns.
• You must demonstrate a good understanding of relevant legislation, safeguarding procedures, adolescent risk and trauma-informed practice.
• Knowledge of exploitation-focused work, group interventions or community-based responses would be particularly valuable.
• Strong communication, partnership working, report writing and IT skills are essential, including the confidence to chair meetings and provide clear advice to professionals.

What you need to know

• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
• Travel throughout the authority and surrounding area is expected, so a full driving licence with access to a vehicle, or an alternative suitable means of travel, is needed.
• Evening and weekend work will form part of the service requirement.

Interviews will be held on 2nd November 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work.
• What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We’re building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We’re providing essential services across our communities to ensure they are safe and well maintained.

We’ve achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!