Supporting Family Time Worker

Durham County Council; North East; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 21,000; Part time

Job summary

Durham County Council invites applications for Sessional Supporting Family Time Workers to help deliver supervised family time sessions across County Durham. You will supervise contact between children and families and maintain accurate records.

Flexible weekday/weekend shifts are available; DBS checks and safeguarding measures are required to ensure safe, high-quality services for children and families.

Qualifications

• Level 3 qualification in a relevant children’s services field or equivalent.
• Working towards social work qualification.

Responsibilities

• Providing family time sessions at a range of venues across County Durham.
• Supervising and supporting children, young people and their families during family time sessions.
• Completing accurate, timely and professional recordings and reports.
• Supporting the Team Leader and Team Manager to ensure safe service delivery, including the assessment and management of risk.
• Identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns in line with council procedures.

Skills

Family time sessions

Recording & reporting

Safeguarding awareness

Education

Level 3 qualification in children's services

Social work qualification in progress

Job description

We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to recruit Sessional Supporting Family Time Workers to join our dedicated team. As a seven-day-a-week service, we are looking for flexible and committed individuals who can help us meet the needs of children and families across County Durham.

We are seeking team members who are able to support a combination of weekday and weekend sessions, or who can commit to working regular weekend shifts. These roles provide an excellent opportunity to gain experience within Children's Services while making a positive difference to the lives of children and families.

If you are reliable, flexible, and passionate about supporting children and families, we would welcome your application.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

Successful candidates will support the delivery of supervised family time sessions, ensuring that children and young people have safe, positive opportunities to spend time with their families. You will supervise and observe contact between children, young people and their families, enabling them to experience quality time together while completing accurate recordings using observations and assessments. You will also promote all aspects of the service and liaise with partner agencies and professionals where required.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Providing family time sessions at a range of venues across County Durham.
• Supervising and supporting children, young people and their families during family time sessions.
• Completing accurate, timely and professional recordings and reports.
• Supporting the Team Leader and Team Manager to ensure safe service delivery, including the assessment and management of risk.
• Adhering to all published policies, standards and procedures in the delivery of the service.
• Promoting positive outcomes for children and families through a child-focused approach.
• Liaising effectively with social workers, carers, parents and partner agencies.
• Identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns in line with council procedures.
• Notifying providers and quality assurance leads of any deficiencies in service standards.
• Contributing to the ongoing development and promotion of the Family Time Service.

We encourage any interested applicants to contact the Family Time Team Manager via email at [e-mail] to arrange an informal discussion about the role. We would be happy to discuss the position, expectations and opportunities available within the service.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• Level 3 qualification in a relevant children’s services field or equivalent

• Working towards social work qualification

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

The successful applicant for this post will be required to apply for a Disclosure & Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING

Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought inclusive of a check of the Children’s Barred List and Adults Barred List due to the position working in regulated activity. Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation and will confirm whether an individual is barred from working with children, adults, or both.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held week commencing 16th November 2026.

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.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• attractive salaries
• a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service)
• membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme
• a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

We welcome applications from disabled people and those who are or consider themselves to be neurodivergent.

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