Senior Family Support Worker

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Oakfield South Belle Vue Road Earl Shilton LE9 7PA Oakfield North Forest Street Shepshed LE12 9DB

Worker Category: Field Based Worker

Salary: 38700 - 41373 per annum

Working Hours:37 Hours

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 29th June 2025

Interview Date(s): 2nd July 2025

About the Role

Oakfield Short Stay Primary is a dynamic Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) 30-place pupil referral unit. We are dedicated to ensuring every child achieves success and realises their potential. Our Primary School operates across two bases providing a supportive and engaging environment for pupils who join us following a permanent exclusion or dual registration from mainstream education.

Oakfield Short Stay School is seeking a dedicated Senior Family Support Worker to support the improvement of educational outcomes for children by supporting their families. This pivotal role is ideal for a proactive professional who is passionate about making a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable children and their families. In this position you will be instrumental in guiding parents and carers through challenging transitions and facilitating access to essential services and community resources. You will work closely with the leadership team and take line management responsibility the Family Support Worker.

The Senior Family Support Worker will act as the first point of contact for parents and carers particularly in cases of permanent exclusion or dual registered placements. They will be responsible for clarifying the Oakfield offer arranging induction meetings and visits and coordinating comprehensive induction plans and timetables. Providing advice and support with an anti-bias and inclusive approach is fundamental to this role with close collaboration required between key agencies and professionals. The senior family support worker is often the first point of contact in the mornings speaking with parents and transport staff to ensure a smooth start to the school day. This will require the successful candidate to start work before the school day commences.

A key aspect of the role includes informing and promoting services that benefit families in their educational journey. The Senior Family Support Worker will work alongside community professionals and voluntary groups to identify the training needs of parents ensuring they have access to the support they need. Managing and analysing statistical data to monitor the effectiveness of services is also an essential part of this position contributing to the schools wider evaluation processes.

The Senior Family Support Worker will oversee the work of the Family Support Worker and play an active role as a member of the Senior Management Team. Leadership responsibilities include supporting staff in delivering family engagement initiatives and ensuring that interventions are structured and responsive to the needs of pupils and their families.

Safeguarding is a crucial aspect of the role as the successful candidate will serve as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. They will be expected to maintain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of safeguarding requirements ensuring that children are kept safe. Training staff on safeguarding procedures maintaining accurate records and liaising with local safeguarding teams are key elements of this responsibility. The Senior Family Support Worker will escalate concerns appropriately always acting in the best interests of the child.
To be considered for the role candidates must hold an NVQ Level 3 or HLTA qualification alongside GCSE Grade C in Mathematics and English. Experience working with children in non-domestic settings and engaging families within their homes or external premises is essential. Candidates should have a strong background in supporting children with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs Previous experience in managing small teams and developing initiatives in educational or childcare settings is desirable.

Oakfield Short Stay School is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for both staff and students. The school values collaboration professional development and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families. If you are passionate about family support and inclusion and want to contribute to a nurturing educational environment we would love to hear from you.

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post you must:

Please refer to the 7 point criteria giving examples of how you meet the criteria below

• Family Support & Advice Act as the first point of contact for parents regarding exclusions and placements providing guidance coordinating induction plans and ensuring an inclusive approach.
• Service Promotion & Outreach Inform families about key services collaborate with community professionals to identify training needs and manage data for monitoring and evaluation.
• Management & Leadership Supervise the Family Support Worker and contribute to strategic decision-making as a key member of the Senior Management Team.
• Safeguarding Serve as the Designated Safeguarding Lead maintaining up-to-date knowledge training staff keeping accurate records and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Corporate Responsibilities Ensure compliance with policies related to Health & Safety Child Protection Equal Opportunities and Data Protection while maintaining comprehensive records.
• Qualifications & Experience Hold an NVQ Level 3 or HLTA qualification with GCSEs in English and Maths and have experience supporting vulnerable children and managing family interventions.
• Key Skills & Attributes Demonstrate strong communication skills time management ICT proficiency safeguarding knowledge empathy and the ability to build positive relationships within the community.
  

You must also have an understanding of and commitment toequality diversity and inclusion.

In addition we also expect you to shareour commitment to our valuesand will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.

Interested in Flexible Working

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore wherever possible we will consider working arrangements that suit an individuals personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working part-time hours compressed hours flexible start and finish times home/remote working etc.

Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in the Our Working Stylespage on our career site.

For more information or an informal discussionplease contact:

Visits are highly encouraged if you would like to discuss the role further or arrange a visit please

Lewis Pegg or Craig Collins - Interim Co-Headteacher

Email: &

How to Apply

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality diversity and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the About You section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job please click on the apply button. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the About You section above. For more information see the How to Applysection on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore if you are interested please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning0(select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: applying for this post you agree to ourTerms and Conditions.