Main duties and responsibilities
1. To manage a caseload of families with additional and multiple needs as directed by line manager.
2. To carry out whole family focussed assessments of both children and their families working to support them in their homes and community. Job Title Early Help Family Practitioner Grade PO1 Department Children’s Services Division Early Help Responsible to Community Practice Lead Responsible for None Job Reference No.
3. To use reflective supervision in casework attending regular supervision with their line manager.
4. To work directly with child and young person to ensure their voice is heard and incorporated into the planning process.
5. To provide and co-ordinate structured support and intervention to families to help them change their behaviour. Some of these interventions may be required to be intensive.
6. To support universal practitioners to build up their confidence and skill-set in working with higher tier cases and within a whole family context. Enabling others by using support, coaching, joint case holding and training.
7. To train in and use clear practice frameworks such as ‘systemic/heart of practice’ and ‘Family Partnership Model’ as a way standardising local interventions.
8. To act as the lead practitioner where tier 2 cases cannot be allocated to another lead professional and provide opportunities for universal practitioner to shadow and model casework to enable the case to be stepped down.
9. To research and connect up local services to strengthen the local partnership network and mobilise resources so they become available to the local families.
10. To attend and chair Family meetings as a way of supporting practice in this area as an ‘expert practitioner’.
11. To have a sound understanding of Lambeth’s safeguarding thresholds and ability to apply this knowledge in practice.
12. To undertake the full range of assessment, planning and reviewing activity in relation to children and families with additional and complex needs. This will include:
- Achieving concrete outcomes for families
- co-ordinating work across networks, communities and agencies to support families
- Providing evidence-based support
- Sound decision-making with an appropriate level of independence and autonomy
- Taking the initiative, to form constructive alliances and to act as a change agent
- Modelling good practice for universal and community professionals
- Undertaking direct work with children, young people and their families on an individual or group basis.
13. To develop and maintain a thorough knowledge of legislation and regulations and departmental procedures relating to working with children and families including Lambeth’s safeguarding procedures and GDPR laws.
14. To collect and provide managers with such information as may be required about assessments, casework and capacity building activity, utilising new technology and case management systems.
15. To organise and plan work activities taking into account competing demands and priorities and to keep manager appraised of any difficulties.
16. To recognise and act on safeguarding concerns relating to children and to adults with care and support needs, and contribute to the response to such concerns, promptly escalating cases were necessary.
17. To meet the organisation’s requirements in regard to record keeping, including that required for the monitoring of performance and quality.
18. To prepare and present reports and assessments for meetings with families and partners including at reviews and panels such as the Locality Action Panel and other multi-agency forums.
19. To keep your skills and knowledge of systemic practice up-to-date, in order to be able to meet the requirements of your role and to maintain requirements of professional registration where applicable. This will include keeping up-to-date with relevant best practice, regulations and guidance, and acting in line with it, particularly around systemic practice and capacity building.
20. To have regular contact with community partners including i n schools, Children Centre’s, and GP surgeries according to local need
Professional Accountabilities
• To complete the 2 day heart of practice training or equivalent systemic training within the first year of this role.
• To be confident in the use of the Early Help Family Assessment and to act as a Lead Professional and co-ordinator for allocated families at multi-agency meetings presenting multiple and complex needs.
• To organise and Chair Team around the Family meetings ensuring that there is a multi-agency family plan to address presenting needs of all family members
General
• Work as a member of the wider Early Help Partnership liaising with and supporting all staff and ensuring appropriate cover for colleagues as agreed by service managers. Carry out all duties in accordance with the London Borough of Lambeth’s Equal Opportunities policy, actively promoting equality and seeking to prevent and overcome disadvantage and discrimination.
• To work flexibly in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participate as required in groups and task teams, some of which may involve working across disciplines, or with colleagues from across the Council and partner organisations.
• To take full responsibility for the implementation of own Personal Development Plan and continued professional development in those areas relevant to post holder’s own role and participate in the Council’s appraisal scheme.
• To take responsibility, appropriate to the post for tackling racism and promoting good race, ethnic and community relations.
• As a Lambeth Officer you are expected to observe common corporate accountabilities and to promote a positive image of the Local Authority at all times
• To undertake other duties that may be reasonably requested by line manager
• To participate in training, learning and development events relevant to the development of the service and the role. This includes:
- Carrying out the duties of the post in accordance with the Data Protection Act, the Computer Misuse Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act and other relevant legislation today and in the future, as well as Council policies.
- Complying with Financial Regulations, seeking best value in all goods and services purchased and preventing any avoidable financial loss.
- Being courteous and professional towards everyone you work with in all written and verbal contacts.
- Promptly responding to all messages and correspondence, including emails.
- Reporting any misconduct on the part of Council Officers or contractor
• The post-holder must at all times carry out the duties of this post with due regard to the Council’s Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policies. To take responsibility, appropriate to the post for tackling racism and promoting good race, ethnic and community relations.
Special Conditions
• Employment is subject to an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) criminal record disclosure satisfactory by the Council, to be undertaken on a three yearly basis. You must inform your manager if you are arrested for or charged with any criminal offence.
• Due to the nature of the work with vulnerable children and families some work beyond normal office hours is required from time to time.
• The post is exempt from Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, as the duties give you access to persons who are under the age of 18. Applicants are not entitled to withhold information about convictions, which would be regarded as spent for other purposes