This post is suitable as a job share opportunity.

We are looking for an experienced child and family worker to join the Assessment and Contact Team at the Hamilton House family centre.

Our team provides supervised family time for children in care during court proceedings and support families towards long term plans. You should be a skilled and motivated child and family practitioner who is committed to facilitating good quality supervised family time.

Whilst most sessions are facilitated at Hamilton House, at times there is requirement for working in a family home or community setting. 

The ideal candidate should:

• Be able to conduct thorough assessment of the quality of family time and be able to work with families to enable them to achieve safe and meaningful time together.
• Have experience of completing both direct work and life story work with children. Your work would include managing a caseload of families to coordinate and supervise family time and complete life story and direct work as required.
• Value placing effective relationships at the centre of what you do and be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, foster carers, children and families using a variety of communication methods alongside adapting approaches to individual needs.
• Possess excellent typing and computer skills to maintain accurate and up to date case records on our electronic recording system and liaise with the legal team to provide statements and contact reports for court when required.
• Be able to work closely with the team, within our family centre and shred office environment, support cover of family time for colleagues and pick up new family allocations at short notice. You will need to work with colleagues across children’s social care, education, health, legal services and police when required.
• Ideally have experience and knowledge of Signs of Safety, Child Development, Supervising Family Time, Life Story Work, Family Support, Parenting Support, Supporting Complex Needs.

The role will involve the need to approach parents who may be under the influence or struggling due to their day-to-day circumstances and mental health, to assess the safety of family time being able to take place.

Responsibility needs to be taken to deliver this information and manage the parent’s response to protect the safety of the children and of other service users. This requires resilience and the ability to remain calm when responding to emergency situations and to frequent changes in type or level of need presented by often chaotic family circumstances. It is important to promote respect and dignity for our families and always support them sensitively in a professional manner.

Part of the role will be supporting the team to develop and maintain positive practice and strengthen the service in all areas. You will adopt City of York Brighter Futures practice model, including Signs of Safety and consistently apply practice with clear rationale, purpose and process feedback to support you provide. 

37 hours per week (typically worked between 8:30am – 5:30pm). Occasional and planned later finishes and weekends may be required.

City of York Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We require the successful candidate to undertake an enhanced Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service.

As this role is public facing, applicants will need to demonstrate, at interview, their competency to converse and provide advice and guidance to members of the public, in spoken English to CEFR level C1: Can express themselves fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language.

The Council is committed to investing in the talent and wellbeing of our staff and can offer a generous annual leave allowance, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, comprehensive Health & Wellbeing initiatives and a reward package which recognises your contribution. We can offer flexible working practices, community engagement and volunteer activities and, as part of our commitment to you, promote continuous Learning & Development. In addition we also offer a growing range of discounts, rewards and savings.

For further information or an informal discussion please contact Steve Campbell (Service Manager) at Steve.Campbell@york.gov.uk or on 01904 555161.

Closing date: Sunday 22 December 2024 at 12 midnight

Interview date: Week commencing Monday 13 January 2025