Family Support Practitioner

Salary: £23,500 per annum, pro rata which equates to £15,878

Location: Ballymena 

Contract/Hours: Permanent, Part-time (working 25 hours a week) – full days Tuesday to Thursday and half day on Friday

Benefits: 

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave 
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities 
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages 
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover 
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts. 

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help 

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK. 

Last year, we helped more than 687,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. 

Why Action for Children? 

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives. 

About the service 

Ballymena & Little Steps Sure Start provides a range of health, play & learning and parenting support services to children, from pre-birth up to four years, and their families. The project comprises a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team and works in close partnership with a range of local Statutory, Voluntary and Community service providers to promote effective service delivery in response to the needs of the expectant parents, children and families across the designated SureStart areas. Sure Start services are provided from 3 centre bases across the localities, within the home setting or through outreach settings. 

A bit about the role 

As a Family Support Practitioner role you’ll take responsibility for the delivery of high quality, evidence based, and holistic interventions for families in the perinatal period and throughout their parenting journey with SureStart. You will be responsible for facilitating groups and programmes on a regular basis as well as offering home visits and phone calls for additional parenting support. You will have access to a wide range of training opportunities including Action for Children’s extensive e-learning.

How you'll help to create brighter futures 

• Undertaking a range of home visits including promotional visits and visits to provide emotional and practical support to parents including support for development of play skills.
  Developing open, honest and non-judgemental relationships with families.
• Being responsible for the planning, development and delivery of individual and group-based services including evaluation of the services you provide, gathering and processing service-user feedback and reflection on areas for development.
• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team in providing a service for parents who have children with additional needs, focusing on the emotional health of both parent and child and offering the opportunity for peer support.
• Signposting families to other relevant services including any relevant Disability services and ensuring good links with local statutory and voluntary services.
• Being a visible, effective and approachable Practitioner within the team who is willing to share learning and expertise as well as take a lead with team members in offering peer support and guiding or directing staff and volunteers where necessary.  
• Adapting within a constantly changing environment and adhering to the project's Business Plan. 

Let's talk about you 

You will need an innovative, outcomes based approach to your work. Reflective practice is an essential part of the job, and day to day you’ll utilise a range of tools to inform your practice and ensure it meets the needs of the individual families. Ideally you will have: 

• Level 3 Diploma in Childcare or equivalent relevant qualification.
• Experience of working with families and children aged under 4 years.
• A thorough understanding of child protection and Safeguarding.
• An understanding of the physical, intellectual, linguistic, social and emotional growth as part of child development.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage with people of all ages and backgrounds to build strong and collaborative relationships.
• Strong record keeping skills to complete assessments, service plans and reviews.
• Good IT skills.
• The ability to travel across Antrim and Ballymena on a regular basis. The job requires the ability to travel according to the needs of the job, with reasonable adjustments, if required, according to the Equality Act.

Contact: Emma Goodwin on 01923 361725 or email us at recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 10273.

Please note: Interviews are planned to be held on 15th November 2024.

Good to know 
Application Process 
Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration. 
 

Talent Pool 
We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't. 

Diversity, equality and inclusion 
At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. 

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Don't meet every single requirement? 

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family. 

Want to know more about Action for Children? 
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Job Description

See below for further information about working with us:

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement

Action for Children Northern Ireland Booklet