Family Service Worker

Family Service Worker Cheshire East Council | Grade 7 ? Location: Across Cheshire East ? Service: Children’s Services / Family Support and Family Time ? Requirement: Full UK driving licence, access to a vehicle and appropriate business-use insurance ? Working pattern: Flexible, including planned evenings and weekends Make a meaningful difference to children and families ? Are you passionate about supporting children, young people and families to overcome challenges, build positive relationships and achieve better outcomes? Cheshire East Council is looking for a compassionate, resilient and motivated Family Service Worker to join its services, helping children and families access the right support at the right time. This rewarding opportunity combines preventative family support with supervised Family Time for looked-after children and young people, helping them maintain meaningful relationships with their families in a safe, supportive and child-centred environment. You'll work closely with children, parents, carers and partner agencies to promote positive change, safeguard vulnerable children and ensure every intervention is focused on improving outcomes. If you're an experienced family support professional who believes in early intervention, partnership working and putting children first, we'd love to hear from you! What will the role involve? Family Support and Early Intervention Work collaboratively with Children’s Services and partner agencies to deliver coordinated, evidence-based support programmes. Identify children and families who may be experiencing difficulties and provide timely, appropriate interventions. Undertake holistic assessments of family circumstances, using relevant assessment tools to identify needs, risks and appropriate support. Plan, deliver, monitor and review individual programmes of support, ensuring interventions are outcome-focused and responsive to changing needs. Empower families to develop their skills, strengthen relationships and achieve positive, sustainable change. Work with families who may be vulnerable or harder to reach, ensuring children and young people receive appropriate support. Supervised Family Time Provide high-quality, child-centred supervised Family Time for looked-after children and young people and their families. Support sessions within Family Time centres and community venues, ensuring children’s immediate safety, wellbeing and needs remain the priority. Observe and encourage positive, nurturing and meaningful interactions between children and their family members. Offer practical guidance and support where appropriate, helping families make the most of their time together while maintaining clear professional boundaries. Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, escalating any issues in line with relevant procedures. Produce accurate, timely and objective written observations and feedback to inform care planning, assessments and decisions about children’s welfare. Partnership Working and Professional Practice Build effective working relationships with children, families, colleagues and professionals across relevant agencies. Attend planning meetings, reviews and other professional discussions, contributing observations and information to support decision-making. Maintain accurate, confidential records, assessments, reports and other documentation. Collect relevant information to support service monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement. Work in accordance with safeguarding procedures, legislation, departmental policies, data protection requirements and health and safety guidance. Participate in supervision, training and continuing professional development to strengthen your knowledge and practice. What are we looking for? We're looking for someone who can build trusting relationships, communicate effectively with children and families, and remain calm, professional and resilient when working in challenging circumstances. Essential requirements: NVQ Level 3 in Childcare or an equivalent qualification, such as BTEC Nursery Nursing or a relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification, alongside the required GCSE-equivalent qualifications in English and Maths. Experience of working with children, young people and families. Experience of supporting individuals through interventions, programmes or packages of work designed to achieve positive outcomes. Strong communication, listening, observation and interpersonal skills. The ability to maintain accurate, timely and confidential records, including sensitive information and observations. An understanding of child development, safeguarding, child protection and the factors that can affect children’s wellbeing. The ability to work effectively with colleagues and professionals from different services and agencies. A flexible, organised and adaptable approach to managing competing demands. The resilience to manage emotionally demanding situations and challenging behaviour calmly and professionally. A commitment to safeguarding, promoting equality and delivering a high standard of service. A willingness to undertake relevant training and continuing professional development. Additional essential requirements for this role: A full UK driving licence. Access to your own vehicle with appropriate insurance for business use. The ability to travel across Cheshire East and beyond when required, including transporting children where necessary. Flexibility to work planned evenings and weekends in response to the needs of children and families. The ability to communicate clearly and provide advice in spoken English. Desirable experience and knowledge Applications would be particularly welcome from candidates with: Experience of delivering structured parenting, family support or evidence-based intervention programmes. Experience of undertaking multi-agency Common Assessment Framework (CAF) assessments or equivalent child and family assessments. Experience of working directly with parents and carers, including one-to-one support in the family home or group-based work. Experience of supervised Family Time or contact services. Experience of working with children and families affected by domestic abuse, substance misuse, disability, mental health difficulties or other complex circumstances. Experience of working with harmful sexual behaviour cases. A relevant youth work, community work, social work or equivalent qualification. Good IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office and electronic recording systems. Why consider this opportunity? This is an opportunity to make a genuine difference to children and families across Cheshire East, helping to strengthen family relationships, intervene at an early stage and ensure children receive the support they need. You'll be part of a service that values partnership working, professional development, safeguarding and a child-centred approach to practice. If you're compassionate, committed and ready to help families achieve positive outcomes, this could be the next step in your career. Interested in applying? If you have the relevant experience, qualifications and flexibility to meet the needs of the service, we'd love to hear from you.