Family Support Worker

About Us

North Somerset Council is committed to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Family Support Worker to join our Consult Team. The Consult Team are responsible for supporting the well being and stability for our Children in Care, through therapeutic interventions provided to children and their care givers.

As a Family Support Worker you will work intensively with a small number of families, using evidence-based methods of intervention to support positive change for children, young people and their families.

You will form purposeful relationships with families, working in a strengths-based way, using Signs of Safety to support families to keep their children safe, develop their parenting skills and improve school attendance. You will also support families to access appropriate specialist support, such as drug and alcohol services, or mental health services etc as necessary. You will work as part of a team providing specialist interventions and also provide advocacy for the family as required

Key Responsibilities:

• You will use evidence-based methods of intervention working with young people and their carers or families. Success will be measured by positive outcomes for young people such as improved relationships between young people and their carers or family, safeguarding young people, engaging young people in learning, attendance, and generally improving behaviour, health and wellbeing for young people, and by raising participation in employment, education and training post 16.
• Help deliver evidence-based parenting programmes and groups for children, as required.
• Work as outlined in the plan for the child, young person or family (Children in Care). Agree with families and other agencies the aims and the purpose of your involvement, setting out, clear outcomes and improvements expected from the intervention.
• Complete accurate and up-to-date records in line with our recording policy.

This position is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

This position will be based in Weston-Super-Mare at Town Hall.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated.

This role falls into the category of Flexible Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way:

• 2-3 days in the office
• Works both from home and the office, depending on the task at hand.
• Training is provided to help balance work-life and manage time effectively, with an emphasis on communication for team touchpoints and planning in-office days for collaboration.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about providing therapeutic support to children in Care and their care givers, and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience of working directly with children and their families in difficult situations.
• Knowledge of child development and safeguarding children.
• Experience of delivering and leading groups.
• Experience of ICT systems (email, word processing and spreadsheets)

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience and qualified to deliver life story work.
• Experience and trained in therapeutic interventions, such as DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy), PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy), VIG (Video interaction guidance) and Theraplay

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment. We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension
• Opportunities for professional development
• Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
• Dedicated in house Wellbeing Team
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes

Further details of our excellent rewards package can be found in our Benefits booklet.

How to Apply

If you share our vision and valuesand are ready to make an impact to North Somerset, please select the apply online button below. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application by 11.59pm on the application closing date. When completing our online application form, please detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Contact Information

For further information about the role, please contact:

Alex Humphries,

Team Manager for Children in Care Team B and Consult Service,

at Alex.Humphries@n-somerset.gov.uk or Tel: 07824 085764

Important Information

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.

Interview Date: Friday 15 August 2025.

Please note: We are currently only able to accept applications from candidates who have full permission to work in the UK and are unable to provide Sponsorship for this role.

Equal Opportunities

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant or currently on maternity leave. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early or extend the closing date depending on the number of applications received.