Sessional Contact Supervisor

Job introduction

We are looking for two Sessional workers to join our established and experienced team. We support and supervise children (0-18 years old) who live in foster care to safely ordered family time contact with parents and close family members. Contact takes place in two centres in the east and west of the city and in the community.

You will be required to fully document your observations of the family together and any parenting support you provided during the session and then submit your report within 24 hours. You need to be able to write clearly and concisely with attention to spelling and grammar as reports are shared with parents and the court. You need to have a track record of being able to make relationships with people quickly and supporting parents and children to experience a positive relationship.

About the role

A Sessional worker’s main responsibilities are to safeguard children, role model good parenting strategies and manage complicated and emotionally charged situations. Sessional workers are provided a laptop and phone undertaking the administrative aspects of their role from their home or in the centre office. Sessional workers are required to work across the city in both centres and be available to cover contact work at short notice. Centre opening hours are 9am – 5pm. Contact service staff are required to work with children across the age range and be able to form positive working relationships with family members many of whom have experienced trauma and complex histories. We provide an induction, on-going 1-2-1 and group supervision and training.

Applicants must have knowledge of child development, child protection processes and have previous experience of working with children and families. Excellent report writing and IT skills are vital, along with an ability to remain calm and deal sensitively with difficult or unexpected situations as they arise. Although an A level standard education is desirable, we would positively welcome applications from people who can demonstrate good written and communication skills.

Applicants must also be able to work individually and as part of team, have an understanding of anti-racist practice and be aware of safe working practices.

Casual Hours between 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday and weekends

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and How we create a fair and inclusive workplace.

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.