Early Help Practitioner

Bishop Auckland
Posted 7 days ago

We are looking for an Early Help Practitioner that will work with children, young people and families aged 0-19 (or 25 with special educational needs and disabilities), assessing their needs and delivering high quality interventions on a one to one or group basis, and refer/signpost to other services within and outside the hub which can support their needs.

The role of Early Help Practitioner is vast and we wouldn’t expect you to do all of it – for example we won’t be allocating you pre birth intervention work. The majority of work will be covering Groups, some case work depending on experience, organisation of the Family Hubs, supporting delivery of other groups and services within the Family Hub. There is parking on site at both Bishop Auckland Family Hub and Willington Family Hub your base will be Bishop Auckland Family Hub but travel between the 2 is essential

Duties and Responsibilities

To work with parents and carers to enable them to identify, acknowledge and meet their own and their children’s needs, develop life skills, make and sustain effective change and build resilience.
Support the improvement of family relationships and parents understanding of their responsibilities for their children’s safety and well-being by planning and delivering programmes to children, young people, parents and carers. These may be evidence based programmes e.g. Incredible Years, Triple P, Strengthening Families, or group sessions e.g. Chill Kids, Teen Zone, Stay and Play).
Work with a caseload of families taking responsibility for carrying out Early Help Assessments and supporting family plans, and where required utilising Team Around the Family (TAF) processes. Ensure that the voice of the child, parents and carers are central to this process. Work in a strength-based way, using our practice model Signs of Safety, and utilising the family network to understand the family’s needs and offer a range of interventions to support sustained change.
Work in partnership with children, young people, their families and carers providing direct help and interventions to families that contribute to meaningful positive change. This may include supporting families to make and attend appointments, modelling appropriate actions and behaviours and assisting the necessary day to day activities that enable families to progress and maintain positive outcomes.
Work in an integrated way with other professionals to meet the needs of children, young people and families, so that they experience seamless support, e.g. Pre-Birth interventions, Healthy Child Programme, and Enhanced Parenting Support Programme and through the co-delivery of programmes
Demonstrate an inclusive approach, ensuring that you engage effectively with children, young people and parents and carers from a range of backgrounds, and with a range of experiences and needs. Ensure your work with children, young people and parents and carers from underserved groups shows sensitivity and promotes safety and well-being. Ensure that their views inform your practice on a day-to-day basis. Where needed, advocate for children, young people, families and carers with other agencies.
Work with parents and carers to develop confidence to engage with local sustainable support from other services including the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), and to participate in activities that improve their personal skills, education and employability.
Ensure consistent use of evaluation tools to measure impact and evidence outcomes.
Maintain accurate records of activity and contribute to reports.
Use supervision and opportunities for reflective practice to learn and to share good practice. Use opportunities for professional development to enhance your skills and knowledge for practice.
Adhere to the procedures set out by Children and Young People’s Services, and the multi-agency child protection procedures set out by Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership (DSCP).
Work flexibly to meet the needs of children and families, including some evening and weekend working.

The candidates must have:

Level 3 qualification in a relevant children’s services field
Recent experience of working and supporting children, young people, families and carers
Planning and delivering interventions with children/young people/families/carers which led to improved outcomes
Working in partnership with other agencies to achieve outcomes for children/young people/families
Delivering a planned session to a group
Effective interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Problem solving – ability to be innovative and find creative solutions
Comfortable using IT to carry out day-to-day tasks
Knowledge of how to respond effectively to safeguarding concerns
Knowledge of the issues affecting families locally
Knowledge of the importance of whole family intervention
Understanding of information sharing, consent and confidentiality
Focus on the needs of the child and family
Open, honest and assertive manner
Employ persistent approaches to engage families, particularly underserved groups
Establishing and maintaining professional boundaries
Reflect and evaluate to improve working practice
Manage time effectively, prioritise, co-ordinate tasks and meet deadlines
Good team player, reliable and able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Service
Capable of independent travel to meet the requirements of the post