About Us
West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents every day. Through our Early Help Service, we work with children, families, and young people to help ensure that everyone is supported to achieve their potential. The foundations for mental health, emotional control, educational success, and parenting ability are established in the early years; home surroundings, family life, and parenting are crucial factors in determining positive outcomes for children as they grow and develop.
The Opportunity
Salary: £31,586 - £31,314 per annum
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week (full time)
Contract: Permanent
Location: Adur East Family Hub
Interview Date: 27th March 2025
We are looking for a Family Support Keyworker to join our Adur East Shoreham team, working within our local hub system to deliver high-level support to families with complex needs.
Family Support Keyworkers deliver intensive support to families in need as part of the Early Help offer. This is achieved by working closely and intensively with whole families using a single-family plan, with agreed outcomes that the family and professionals will work towards. Through this system, we address issues facing the whole family, improve outcomes for children, and reduce dependence on high-cost, specialist support services.
As a Family Support Keyworker, you will engage with hard-to-reach families, working flexibly, creatively, and in partnership with multi-agency stakeholders to meet the needs of the children and their families. This may include working outside of office hours on occasions.
You must have a good working knowledge of legislation and practice relating to children, alongside an understanding of current issues faced by families. You will have demonstrable experience of working with children and families and be able to evidence supporting those with complex needs, as well as experience in effective partnership working.
You must be able to travel throughout the county occasionally, including locations that are not always accessible by public transport, so a driving licence and access to a car are essential.
Experience and Skills
Key Skills:
* Ability to listen to adults and children who have experienced trauma and have complex needs, using excellent interpersonal skills to build effective relationships with families.
* Analytical and judgmental skills to interpret complex situations and information from families to make assessments.
* Excellent crisis management skills with the ability to recognize the individual needs of families.
* Ability to create an environment where families are empowered to make positive changes.
* Ability to build rapport quickly with people participating in services and remain up to date with changes in best practice and available support mechanisms.
* Ability to accurately record information in Excel spreadsheets and web databases, and use a variety of screening tools.
Qualifications and/or Experience:
* Relevant qualification, preferably degree level, in a related subject, or demonstrable experience in a paid or unpaid capacity providing support to people in stressful and difficult situations.
* Demonstrable experience of working with families in crisis to provide support, especially those with complex and chronic difficulties.
* Experience of interpreting families' needs and assisting them to access appropriate support services.
* Experience of working in a team environment and multi-agency collaboration.
* Experience of working within a framework of confidentiality.
* Experience of applying relevant legislation, policies, and procedures to individual pieces of work.
* Valid and full driving licence.
Rewards and Benefits
As an employer, we recognize that our employees are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for their contributions.
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05600.
For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, please contact Jonathan Bertram.
For issues or queries regarding your application, please contact the relevant department.
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter, outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full, along with the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) and ensure that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
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