Vacancies

Family Support Worker - Safeguarding West

About the role

Our Support and Safeguarding Teams are committed to helping children and families achieve positive and lasting change. Working across Northamptonshire, our teams combine high support with high challenge, always keeping children's safety and wellbeing at the centre of everything they do.

You'll be joining a welcoming, experienced and supportive team that values collaboration, professional curiosity and continuous learning. We recognise that this work can be demanding, which is why our culture is built around teamwork, reflection and supporting one another to achieve the best outcomes for children and families. You'll have access to regular supervision, opportunities for development, and colleagues who are passionate about making a difference.

Based in Daventry, covering the surrounding area, you'll work closely with social workers and partner agencies to help children remain safely within their families wherever possible. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a service that is committed to relationship-based practice and delivering meaningful support to families at times when they need it most.

We welcome the opportunity to speak with interested candidates. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Anca Buibas on anca.buibas@nctrust.co.uk to arrange a mutually convenient time to talk.

What will you be doing?

As a Family Support Worker, you'll play a vital role in supporting children, young people and families with complex needs.

Working alongside social workers and partner agencies, you will provide targeted support to families who may be involved in Child in Need planning, Child Protection processes, PLO pre-proceedings process or care proceedings. Through direct work with children and support to parents and carers, you will help families build on their strengths, address challenges and create safer, more stable home environments for children.

Your responsibilities will include:

Building positive and trusting relationships with children, young people and their families.
Delivering direct interventions that promote safety and positive outcomes for children.
Supporting parents and carers to develop their parenting skills, confidence and capacity to meet their children's needs.
Contributing to assessments, plans and reviews, ensuring interventions remain focused on agreed outcomes.
Working in partnership with schools, health professionals and other agencies to coordinate effective support.
Maintaining accurate records and reports to evidence progress and inform decision-making.
Helping families access community resources and services that strengthen long-term resilience and independence.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

About you

We are looking for someone who is motivated, compassionate and committed to improving outcomes for children and families.

You will have experience of working directly with children, young people and families, and an understanding of the challenges they may face. You are confident in building relationships, managing competing priorities and working both independently and as part of a multi-agency team.

You will have:

• Experience of supporting children, young people and families in a professional setting.

• Knowledge of safeguarding and child protection principles.

• An understanding of the challenges affecting vulnerable children and families.

• The ability to engage families, build trust and motivate positive change.

• Strong communication, assessment and record-keeping skills.

• Good IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office applications.

• The ability to adapt, remain resilient and maintain a child-centred approach in challenging situations.

Above all, you will share our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and be passionate about making a lasting difference to the lives of children and families across Northamptonshire.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

When applying please ensure your supporting statement details how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.

We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.

We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation.  We are a Disability Confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers, who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you.

Supporting Children – A Career That Matters

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