Parenting Assessor

Are you skilled at understanding family needs, building relationships and supporting parents to make meaningful change?

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Parenting Assessor to join our service and undertake high-quality work with children, young people, and their families.

This is an important role supporting vulnerable children and young people to achieve greater stability, safety, and permanence, while working alongside parents and carers to overcome barriers and make positive changes for their family.

What will you be doing?

A central part of your role will be completing high-quality and timely parenting assessments in line with the East Midlands Parenting Assessment Framework Guidance, with a clear focus on promoting positive outcomes for children.

You will:

• undertake comprehensive assessments of children and families' needs
• work directly with parents and carers, including families who may initially be resistant to engaging
• use support alongside respectful challenge to help families make change
• identify and manage risk, maintaining a clear focus on safeguarding
• produce accurate, detailed, and timely records and analytical reports for a range of meetings, including multi-agency, specialist, and legal settings
• build effective relationships with partner agencies and connect families with appropriate support
• apply relevant safeguarding procedures, legislation, and guidance in your work

You will work with children and young people, parents and carers, schools and education providers, Children’s Social Care, health services, the voluntary and independent sector, and police. The role is line managed by the Senior Family Help Practitioner.

About you

You will bring experience of assessing children and families' needs and working with families within Children’s Services. You should be confident working as part of a multi-disciplinary network and supporting children, young people and families who may be experiencing emotional, personal, or practical difficulties. [

We are particularly looking for someone who can:

• undertake comprehensive assessments
• identify and manage risk
• communicate confidently with families, professionals, agencies, and community organisations
• produce high-quality analytical records and reports
• manage their own workload effectively
• understand child focused and Think Family care planning
• demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding and risk management.

The role requires an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent, with the profile also identifying Early Years Educator, Youth Work and Health and Social Care within its qualification’s requirements. You will need to be reflective, flexible, and able to travel between service locations throughout the county as required.

If you are confident in your assessment skills, passionate about helping families create lasting change and committed to improving outcomes for children and young people, we would welcome your application.

What we offer you:

• 25 days of annual leave plus another 5 once you reach 5 years of continuous service.
• Flexi time, allowing up to an additional 2 days of leave per month.
• Generous local government pension scheme.
• Guaranteed incremental annual pay increase.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Discounts at selected county leisure centres and much more!

We're always pleased to hear from talented people so if you're looking to join a dynamic team and have the skills and experience, we're looking for, then we'd like to hear from you.

For further information please contact Melanie.Johnson@derbyshire.gov.uk

Provisional Interview Date: 20 November 2026

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.