About The Role

Job Title: Family Links Worker

Hours: 37

Salary: HC6 GBP25,979 - GBP29,777 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Closing date: 07/01/2024

The Role

We have a vacancy for a full-time, 37 hour, Family Links Worker to join the Family Links Service. This is a dual role, offering variety to the successful candidate.

You will provide supervised family time for children who are unable to live within their own family and also produce Life Story Books for children with a care plan of adoption. You will need to have experience of working with challenging families and be able to act upon your own initiative to safeguard children. You will need to have experience of working directly with children and families, including those who may be vulnerable and may have experienced neglect or abuse. You will require knowledge of the journey of a child through the care system and be able to translate that into a child-friendly language as well as being able to write concise, professional reports suitable to be presented in court as evidence. You will need to provide support to vulnerable children, young people and their families, promoting positive relationships whilst decisions are being made regarding the future care plans for children. You will need to have excellent observation and communication skills and be able to record and write reports based on your observations. You will also need be fully IT literate and be able to work to tight timescales. You will need to have a Level 3 (or equivalent) qualification in a relevant field i.e. Child Development, Health, Education, Early Years, Social Work, etc. You will need to be able to work alone and use your own initiative. You will need to have a flexible approach to working and be available to work on a rota basis for occasional weekend cover (at present around 3 times a year for a full-time position). You will need to be able to drive and have access to a car for work purposes as you will be expected to travel throughout the county. You will need to be highly motivated and committed to delivering an excellent service to children and families across Herefordshire. You will need to be willing to undertake any further training to enhance your skills and work within the Local Authority Policies and Procedures. We plan to interview for this position in early January 2024.

For an informal discussion please contact Peggy McKenzie or Sarah Pudge 260540.

We Offer

A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

Salary: HC6 GBP25,979 - GBP29,777 per annum Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS) Career progression: clear pathways to progress Generous Annual Leave: 26 days' annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. After five years' continuous service, this increases to 31 days (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum Flexible working:in some instances, flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours, home working Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling Payment of professional membership fees Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts. About Us

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.

Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life. It's the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.

How do we do this? By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this. We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire - we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!

Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people's lives. This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.

We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond.

Come to Herefordshire and join the journey.