PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION The Disabled Children’s Family Support Team supports disabled children / young people and their families through their child in need plans. Their role is to act as allocated workers reviewing the child in need plans and ensuring that they meet the assessed need. In between reviews, FSRPs act as a point of contact when issues arise with their budget, or in the event of a difficulty or crisis. FSRPs support parents in poverty, with mental health problems, victims of domestic violence and where English is a second language to access their rights to benefits and appropriate housing. The FSRPs hold a caseload of disabled children and their families to ensure that they have the right support in place to meet their needs and that the child, parents, support provider and the professional network are working towards agreed SMART goals linked to their EHC plans. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Organise child-in-need reviews for children and young people, which are usually in the schools where the professional network can attend. 2. The review process begins with gathering information from the child, parents and professionals about the current needs and progress towards the goals in the last CIN plan. 3. Where there has been a significant change in needs or more than two years since the last assessment the FSRO would gather information to inform a reassessment led by a Deputy Team Manager. 4. FSRPs attend and contribute to Team around the Child meetings and Child in Need Reviews. They are responsible for completing minutes, uploading these to LCS and circulating to the attendees. 5. After the review the FSRPs would work with the child, parents and the professional network to develop new goals and identify the affordable support in the individual budget to meet the family’s needs. 6. The FSRPs will ensure that goals are SMART and personalised to the child/young person and their family. They usually include access to leisure, at least one developmental goal and a regular short break for the carers. 7. FSRPs can support families by offering a number of plans and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the different options. 8. FSRPs ensure that families have a clear understanding of personal budgets and their options for managing this process, including direct payments. 9. The FSRP’s works through the direction of a DTM to submit the plan to the EHCMB and make a referral that contains a summary of needs and the rationale for the proposed plan. 10. Calculate and structure payments for support plans, advise parents on the use of the pre-paid card and ensure the parent signs the pre-paid card agreement. 11. For those families that cannot manage their own direct payments or where funds have been misused they will set up families on managed accounts in consultation with the Direct Payments Manager. 12. Liaise with commissioned services and other teams in the council to set up services in accordance with the support plan and work with the family to ensure they are accessing their current support plan 13. A key aspect of the role is that FSRPs work directly with families throughout the year providing emotional and practical support through short-term interventions that would enable them to manage better and be more resilient. 14. The FSRP’s work in partnership with Family Outreach Practitioners to support families on their caseloads to meet needs not addressed through the individual budget. 15. FSRPs need to respond promptly to crisis situations to source support through the family where possible or seek crisis funding where appropriate. 16. FSRPs may need to amend support plans, costs and payments on the relevant systems and present the financial request, rationale and support planning information for a management decision. ADDITIONAL: • To use and assist others in the use of information technology systems to carry out duties in the most efficient and effective manner. • To achieve agreed service outcomes and outputs, and personal appraisal targets, as agreed by the line manager. • To undertake training and constructively take part in meetings, supervision, seminars and other events designed to improve communication and assist with the effective development of the post and post holder. • To carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the council’s commitment to customer service excellence and ensure compliance with the customer care standards. • To be committed to the Council’s core values of public service, quality, equality and empowerment and to demonstrate this commitment in the way duties are carried out. • To ensure that duties are undertaken with due regard and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and other legislation. • To carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation. • At all times to carry out responsibilities/duties within the framework of the Council's Dignity for all Policy. (Equal Opportunities Policy).