Family Help Practitioner

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children and families? West Berkshire Council is seeking a dedicated and motivated Family Help Practitioner to join our Children and Family Services team. This is an excellent opportunity to work within a supportive and collaborative environment, providing essential support to families in need.

The Role

Responsibilities

As a Family Help Practitioner, you will be part of a team that delivers high-quality family help services to children and families. Reporting to the Team Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Working directly with children and families to assess their needs and provide appropriate support
• Delivering interventions aimed at improving outcomes for children, such as parenting support and behaviour management
• Collaborating with other professionals and agencies to ensure holistic support for families
• Maintaining accurate and timely records of interventions and progress
• Contributing to multi-agency meetings and information sharing

This role requires the incumbent to have a car available at work to undertake his/her duties as they will be expected to undertake at least 1500 business miles per year. Essential Car User status attracts a lump sum allowance paid on a monthly basis and will be reviewed annually to ensure only employees driving 1500 miles or more receive this allowance.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

• Experience working directly with children and families in a similar role
• Knowledge of the challenges faced by families and effective intervention strategies
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and with external partners
• Organised and able to manage a caseload effectively, prioritising tasks appropriately
• Understanding of safeguarding principles and the ability to identify and respond to risks

Why Work for West Berkshire Council?

West Berkshire Council is committed to supporting its employees and offers a range of excellent employment benefits, including:

• Flexible working arrangements to promote work-life balance.
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities
• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

In addition to these benefits, you will be working within a supportive and inclusive organisation that values collaboration and innovation. West Berkshire Council is dedicated to making a positive difference in the local community, and you will have the opportunity to contribute to this important work.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. 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 to avoid disappointment.

Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Finnuala Buttimer on 07775 825810 or email ***email_hidden*** .

If you are passionate about supporting children and families and are looking for a rewarding role within a supportive organisation, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join the Family Help team at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in the lives of local families.

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How To Apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. This role involves regulated activity with children . As such, appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s).

In this post you will be required to maintain continuous registration with the DBS Update Service for the duration of your employment.

This privacy notice applies to job applicants applying for vacancies with West Berkshire Council https://info.westberks.gov.uk/pnapplications

AI in Applications

We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation.

However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.