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Family Help Practitioner
Suffolk County Council
Ipswich, England, United Kingdom["Full time"]
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• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU, Ipswich IP1 2BX or Lowestoft NR33 0EQ
• Hybrid and community based
• Salary: £29,542 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent
At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change. As
a Children with Disabilities Family Help Practitioner in the County Children &
Young People Disability Service, based within Team Around the Family, you’ll see
the direct impact of your work with children and young people with disabilities
and their families which makes Suffolk special. Join us and turn your passion
for childhood disability and positive change into action.
Reimagine the possibilities.
Your role and responsibilities
As a CwD (Children with Disabilities) Family Help Practitioner, you’ll play a
key role in supporting children, young people and families to achieve positive
and lasting change.
In this role you will:
* act as the CwD lead professional for families, building trusted relationships
and working collaboratively to understand needs and develop meaningful
plans.
* carry out home visits, assessments and planned interventions, using the Signs
of Safety and Wellbeing framework to guide your approach.
* provide practical and emotional support, helping families navigate early
signs of social, emotional, health or behavioural issues.
* work alongside social workers, health colleagues and other agencies to
provide coordinated support.
* maintain clear, accurate and timely case records, making sure every child’s
story is captured respectfully and professionally.
* recognise safeguarding concerns and escalate them appropriately with support
and oversight from management.
• You’ll organise your own workload, problem solve effectively and contribute
to group or multi-agency meetings.
Every day, you’ll be helping families move towards strength, resilience and
safety.
You will need:
We hope you’ll bring:
• A Level 4 practitioner qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant
area of work.
• A strong commitment to Suffolk’s WE ASPIRE values.
• An understanding of early intervention, prevention and child development.
• Experience working directly with children and families, including those with
complex needs or safeguarding concerns.
• Confidence in delivering evidence‑based interventions and working creatively
to help families make changes.
• The ability to identify risks, communicate effectively and work
collaboratively with a wide range of professionals.
Due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence
and access to personal transport. If you feel you can meet these travel
requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager
before applying to discuss.
Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker, shaped by the voices of young
people: find out more
[https://sccrecruit.blob.core.windows.net/assets/SCC/Other-Docs/The-Ideal-Worker.pdf].
Even if you don’t meet every criterion, we encourage you to apply — we would
appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.
The team
You’ll join one of our dedicated CwD Family Help Teams - multi‑disciplinary
groups of social workers and occupational therapist committed to improving
outcomes for children and young people across Suffolk.
We work creatively, collaboratively and with compassion, always striving to
ensure every child and young person with disabilities can live their best life.
Hybrid working, community engagement and flexible approaches are all part of how
we operate.
Empowering Everyone
We are big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas.
We are always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be
the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We
welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are
currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce
Equality Report
[https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/our-aims-and-transformation-programmes/the-councils-equality-and-inclusion-commitment-to-you].
For more information
For a casual chat
about the role, please email Fran.Arnold@suffolk.gov.uk
[Fran.Arnold@suffolk.gov.uk] or contact Fran Arnold by calling 01473264620
How to apply
Step 1
• Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP)
[https://sccrecruit.blob.core.windows.net/assets/SCC/24647.CwD.JPP.Grade4.docx]
Step 2
• Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.
Step 3
• Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below
(no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement
template (Word)
[https://sccrecruit.blob.core.windows.net/assets/SCC/Other-Docs/SupportingStatementTemplate.docx].
1. Describe your experience of working with children and young people with
disabilities and their families.
2. Give an example of when you carried out, or contributed to, an assessment
and developed a support plan for a child or family.
3. Tell us about a time you worked with other professionals to coordinate
support for a child or young person with additional or complex needs.
4. Describe a time when you supported a child or young person with a disability
whose needs were changing or becoming more complex. How did you assess their
needs, work with the family and partner agencies, and ensure the support
remained focused on achieving positive outcomes?
Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be
progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.
For guidance on completing your application, please see our
How to Apply page
[https://www.suffolkjobsdirect.org/#en/sites/CX_3001/pages/657088].
Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your
application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used
inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance
for using AI
[https://www.suffolkjobsdirect.org/#en/sites/CX_3001/pages/764097] to
understand what’s acceptable.
Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled
and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments.
You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team
at recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or 03456 0144
12. You can find examples
of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages
[https://www.suffolkjobsdirect.org/#en/sites/CX_3001/pages/757078].
Closing date: 11.30 pm, 4 October 2026
This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and
volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks
or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid
As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit
people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options
that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand
and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to
the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us
and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.
In return, you’ll enjoy:
* up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and
two paid volunteering days
* membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
* travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
* performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual
cost-of-living pay increase
* training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
* a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
* diverse and active staff networks
* flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from
your first day
Plus lots more!
If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments
please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk)
[https://careers.suffolk.gov.uk/].