The starting salary for this position is £40,296 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.
In Surrey we believe that every child should have the opportunity to reach their full potential and that children are best supported to grow and achieve within their own families. By working together, we are developing flexible services which are responsive to children's and families' needs, providing the right level of help at the right time.
We now have fantastic opportunities to join our new Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS)!
We are proud of our commitment to families in Surrey and excited to be developing more opportunities to help and support children in local communities. We are now looking for a Senior Family Intervention Worker to join our South East Surrey quadrant team based out of Reigate.
Rewards and Benefits
- 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
- 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About the Team
The Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) provides intensive early help to whole families who have interconnecting needs.
IFFS teams work closely with social work colleagues and jointly with a broad range of local community partners, so families can receive help that is meaningful to them, and early enough to avoid the need for statutory interventions. We want to maximise these partnership opportunities and work together with families to enable better outcomes for children, as per the national Supporting Families Outcomes Framework.
We are welcoming applications from people local to Surrey and our surrounding borders with a broad range of experience to create multi-skilled teams that can engage with diverse families. Full training will be provided, so if you are interested in this type of work and are committed to supporting families locally - we would be pleased to hear from you.
To find out more about Early Help, please refer to the National Supporting Families Outcomes Framework
About the Role
As a Senior Family Intervention Worker, you'll play a key role in supporting your staff and collaborating with colleagues and partners within the local early help system. These include Police, Health, Education, Housing, Employment and Benefits, Leisure, Mental Health services and a wide range of local groups from the Voluntary Sector.
You will supervise our Family Intervention Workers, supporting on aspects of training, development and reflective practice. Your focus will be on ensuring that staff are well-equipped, supported and motivated. This will involve cultivating a positive team culture and promoting excellent practices. Your overarching goal will be to contribute to the establishment of a cohesive early help model; actively responding to support colleagues and using resources to empower families in accessing the help they need.
As the lead worker for a reduced caseload of families, you will maintain positive contact and effectively manage the balance of providing hands-on support and coordinating relevant partners, as per a shared family plan as part of the team around the family.
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:
- Applied working knowledge of legislation, procedural frameworks and practice standards in a specialised area of practice
- Proven written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills
- High level problem solving skills
- Ability to lead and motivate a team, using supervision to improve personal performance and practice
- Ability to communicate with compassion and authority in sometimes challenging and sensitive situations
- Ability to effectively build and maintain relationships with a range of colleagues
Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area.
Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.
The application process for this position will consist of 7 questions related to your experience and understanding of the role together with a request to upload your CV. Please note, you are not required to submit a personal statement.
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the attached 'Frequently Asked Questions' document which will provide more information about IFSS and the job description.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 24.06.2024 with interviews to follow.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
- The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
- The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.
We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.