Family Support Workers

Permanent, Full Time (job share is available).

An exciting opportunity has arisen for family support workers to join the children in care teams, in our Through Care Service. We are expanding our service and have vacancies available. 

The Through Care Service supports children and young people aged 0-25 and their families, through their journey in care and as care leavers. 

We are a service of 11 teams, three have a focus on care leavers, the remainder on children in care, which includes two specialist teams for children aged 16 and 17 and for children arriving unaccompanied in the UK. There are seven children in care teams that are made up of a practice lead, five social workers, two family support workers and a unit coordinator. 

We are based at B Bond in an open plan office overlooking the river and Ashton Court.

We have high aspirations for our children and young people and are committed to providing services to achieve the best possible outcomes. 

You will be part of a larger group of 14 family support workers and will have the additional support of a senior family support worker.  

The role of the family support worker is varied, and you will play a central role in building and maintaining relationships with children, their families and networks.

You will supervise family time between children and their families building happy and positive memories for them, supporting these to develop and progress over time to supported, unsupervised. Family time can take place in a centre, the community or the family home.

NOTE: you will be expected to transport children from their carers home to family time and home again, we have several pool cars for your use.

You will help children understand their journey into and through care, creating a narrative with children and their network. The work can be reactive and fast paced; sometimes our children and families can be sad and angry, and you will need the skills to respond to these situations. 

You will need to be able to work flexibly, to work on your own, respond to changing demands and be able to challenge young people, professionals and families in a calm and assertive way.   You will offer support to parents to improve the quality of their family time, looking at what went well and finding different ways of doing things when things don’t go well.

You will need excellent communication skills and the ability to form and maintain relationships with children and their families.  Children are placed in and around our city and sometimes further afield so you may need to travel to see and support children. We have pool cars for you to use. 

You will support social workers in their role working with children, carers, birth family and professionals. 

Some of the family times you supervise will be after school hours. This means you will need to be prepared to work beyond 5pm some days.

You will be encouraged to manage your own diary to take back any time accrued. 

The role demands a high standard of written work and IT capabilities. A good understanding of the needs of the children and families we work with is crucial. 

 

‘This is a very rewarding, fun and sociable job’, ‘it felt such a privilege to sit and eat with the family during a family time’ quotes from family support workers. 

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. 

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

If you would like to discuss the role further please contact team managers jame.plowman@bristol.gov.uk or gatrine.muldoon@bristol.gov.uk

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit. 

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.