Location: Western Health and Social Care Trust
Directorate: Children and Families
Contract and hours: Waiting list for full and part time positions with flexible working provisions available
Job summary
The Children and Families Senior Support Officer will work within a Children’s Services Team along with social workers and social work assistants. The Children and Families Senior Support Officer will be allocated by the senior social worker / senior practitioner, specific low risk, non complex case work, where the focus is on prevention, monitoring and enabling better outcomes for children, young people, families and carers. The Children and Families Senior Support Officer will be primarily responsible for providing individual and group interventions, to support children, young people and families across various social work teams. The Children and Families Senior Support Officer may complete individual visits, for example to looked after children in accordance with relevant legislation and guidance (with professional oversight by a social worker/senior social worker) and contribute to assessments in respect of children, young people and families in collaboration with other professional disciplines in the Social Work teams. The Children and Families Senior Support Officer will also provide evidence based interventions to children, young people, families and carers.
Main responsibilities
- Identify presenting strengths and needs of children, young people and families and carers to inform various assessment frameworks. This includes, but is not limited to the children, young person’s and families developmental needs, attachment, trauma, strengths & difficulties.
- Contribute to an informed assessment and care planning implementation and review as required pertaining to the presenting needs of the children, young people and families in order to inform direct work.
- Under the direction of the senior social worker /social worker provide specific targeted and ongoing interventions to address presenting risk and needs of children, young people and families.
- Establish a therapeutic relationship with children, young people, families and carers and complete direct work commensurate with their role.
- Identify and report to social worker/senior social worker safeguarding concerns, barriers to achieving goals and other similar issues in accordance with policy and procedures.
- Work from a children’s rights model, providing advocacy and empowerment for children, young people and families.
- Support the senior social worker / senior practitioner and social workers by contributing to risk assessments and safety plans as required.
- Collaborate with internal and external service provision partners to address the presenting needs of children, young people and families.
- Share responsibility for planning, delivery and evaluation for direct work with children and young people in line with the governance structures of the service.
- Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in supporting children and families.
- Engage / participate / lead (as appropriate to role ) in the sharing of information, as appropriate, to ensure that effective communication and a team approach in the care of the child is maintained.
- Develop effective working relationships with key stake-holders including CAMHS, Education Service, General Practitioners, Primary Health Care Staff, Statutory/Voluntary Groups, PSNI, Youth Justice Agency, Therapeutic Services and other appropriate personnel.
- Participate as a member of the team in service provision, including case planning meetings, case conferences, looked after child(LAC) reviews , pathway reviews, fostering reviews and relevant tasks as allocated by the Team manager.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of information sharing, protocols, audit systems, referral pathways, and individual care plans.
- Develop and maintain close liaison with team members, and specialist services to ensure an integrated service for children, young people and families.
- Participate in ongoing monitoring, audit and evaluation of service.
- Use initative and work autonomously with due regard to governance of the service and making use of supervision as appropiate to their role.
- Participate and assist in the planning of professional meetings and provide reports to inform LAC reviews, Strategy meetings, Family Support Reviews, Fostering Reviews and Risk Management meetings where required.
- Participate in Child Protection Case Conferences.
- Contribute to / support social workers to complete reports for other professional agencies as required (e.g. court, LAC review, case conference, strategy meetings).
- Undertake family work as required.
- Complete direct work with relevant key people and groups in local communities, schools, parent groups, youth groups etc. as appropriate.
Recruitment drive participating Trusts
For complete details view the full job description in the Additional Information section below
