SEHSCT - Family Senior Support Officer - Band 5

Advertised role location: LPCCC
Official document: 55983160 JD 23.10.26 (docx)
Child & Family Senior Support Officer Band 5

Children’s Disability Teams

Children’s Disability Service

Child & Family Senior Support Officer Band 5

Children’s Disability Teams

Children’s Disability Service

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE
Children and Family Senior Support Officer
Children’s Disability Team Children’s Disability Service

BAND
Band 5

DIRECTORATE

Looked After Children & Disability Services

INITIAL LOCATION

Based within a Children’s Disability teams in Lisburn,LPCCC but will be expected to provide Trust wide cover as required.

REPORTS TO
Senior Social Worker/Senior Social Work Practitioner

ACCOUNTABLE TO

TYPE OF CONTRACT

HOURS

Head of Service Children’s Disability

Permanent

37.5 hours per week may require some flexible working evenings and weekends to meet the needs of service users. Most of this work will be planned, but at times may be crisis driven by the needs of children and families.

JOB SUMMARY

The Children and Families Senior Support Officer will work within the Children’s Disability Teams along with social workers and family support workers as part of a wider multi-disciplinary group across the Children’s Disability Service to provide flexible, timely, responsive community-based supports, interventions and early help to our service users, who are children and young people with learning disability or complex health and/or behavioural needs and their families.

The Senior Social Worker / Senior Social Work Practitioner will delegate to the post holder specific low risk, non-complex case work, where the focus is on prevention, monitoring and enabling better outcomes for service users.

The post holder will be primarily responsible for providing evidence based individual and group interventions to support service users. They will complete individual visits,
for example, statutory visits to looked after children (with professional oversight by a social worker/senior social worker) and contribute to assessments in respect of service users and their families in collaboration with other professional disciplines across the Children’s Disability Service.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Identify presenting strengths and needs of children, young people and families and carers to inform various assessment frameworks. This includes, but is not limited to the children, young person’s and families’ developmental needs, attachment, trauma, strengths & difficulties.

Contribute to an informed assessment and care planning implementation and review as required pertaining to the presenting needs of the children, young people and families in order to inform direct work.

Under the direction of the Senior Social Worker/Senior Social Work Practitioner will provide specific targeted and ongoing interventions to address presenting risk and needs of children, young people and families.

Establish a supportive relationship with children, young people, families and carers and complete direct work commensurate with their role.

Identify and report Senior Social Worker/Senior Social Work Practitioner to safeguarding concerns, barriers to achieving goals and other similar issues in accordance with policy and procedures.

Work from a children’s rights model, providing advocacy and empowerment for children, young people and families.

Support the Senior Social Worker/Senior Social Work Practitioner by contributing to risk assessments and safety plans as required.

Collaborate with internal and external service provision partners to address the presenting needs of children, young people and families.

Share responsibility for planning, delivery and evaluation for direct work with children and young people in line with the governance structures of the service.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in supporting children and families.

Engage/participate/lead (as appropriate to role) in the sharing of information, as appropriate, to ensure that effective communication and a team approach in the care of the child is maintained.

Develop effective working relationships with key stake-holders including CAMHS, Education Service, General Practitioners, Primary Health Care Staff, Statutory/Voluntary Groups, PSNI, Youth Justice Agency, Therapeutic Services and other appropriate personnel.

Participate as a member of the team in service provision, including case planning meetings, case conferences, looked after child (LAC) reviews, pathway reviews, fostering reviews and relevant tasks as allocated by the
Team manager.

Contribute to the development and implementation of information sharing, protocols, audit systems, referral pathways, and individual care plans.

Develop and maintain close liaison with team members, and specialist services to ensure an integrated service for children, young people and families.

Participate in ongoing monitoring, audit and evaluation of service.

Use initiative and work autonomously with due regard to governance of the service and making use of supervision as appropriate to their role.

Participate in professional meetings and provide reports to inform LAC reviews, Strategy meetings, Family Support Reviews, Fostering Reviews and Risk Management meetings where required.

Participate in Child Protection Case Conferences.

Contribute to/support Social Workers to complete reports for other professional agencies as required (e.g. court, LAC review, case conference, strategy meetings).

Undertake family work as required.

Complete direct work with relevant key people and groups in local communities, schools, parent groups, youth groups etc. as appropriate.

Identify and participate in Continuing Professional Development relevant to the service provision and nature of the work to ensure best outcomes for service users.

Contribute the maintenance of accurate and appropriate records maintained in accordance with legislation, Trust policies and procedures.

Provide reports as necessary and/or information for the use in planning and monitoring services and contribute to audits as required.

Source and provide relevant data as required.

Participate in performance management and development of the service as required.

Participate in a formal supervision programme, staff meetings, reflective practice, signs of safety, group supervision and appropriate staff training within the service.

Participate in initiatives to improve the quality of all aspects of the service.

Keep records and observe professional standards in respect of confidentiality and security of it.

Be flexible and undertake such duties as may be required.

Work flexible hours which may include evenings and weekends.

Recognise and respond to situations of risk escalating as appropriate to social worker/senior social worker as required.

Ensure to take appropriate action to identify and manage risk to maintain the safety of children, themselves and others according to Regional / Trust Safeguarding procedures. All safeguarding events must be reported to the social worker / senior social worker.

Maintain NISCC registration and ensure personal accountability in accordance with the NISCC Code of Practice.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Organisation supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.

Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

Adhere to and promote Organisational policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins The Organisation’s values. The post holder will be required to:

RAISING CONCERNS – RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Ensure the Organisation’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of The Organisation's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example:
Smoke Free policy
IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct
standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

Take responsibility to minimise the Trust’s environmental impact wherever possible. This will include recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel.

All employees of the Organisation are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the South Eastern H&SC Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the South Eastern H&SC Trust policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent The Organisation’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within The Organisation's area, as needs of the service demand.

eHealth
The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has invested in eHealth to deliver better, faster, safer care to our community and is committed to supporting staff to utilise associated information systems that directly and indirectly inform care. Trust staff are therefore required to commit sufficient time to ensure that they acquire and/or retain the core technology skills required to support their role.

Personal and Public Involvement (PPI)
Staff members are expected to involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community were relevant, in developing, planning and delivering our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to Personal and Public Involvement (PPI).
Please use the link below to access the PPI standards leaflet for further information.
http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/PPI_leaflet.pdf

May 2025

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND Children and Families Senior Support Officer,
Children’s Disability Service
Band 5


DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE Looked After Children & Disability
Support Services

SALARY £ pro rata per annum
Waiting list.


HOURS 37.5 hours per week; may require some flexible working evenings and weekends.


Ref No:



Notes to applicants:

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.





ESSENTIAL CRITERIA


SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor
Criteria

Method of Assessment


Qualifications/
Experience


Degree in relevant care related subject i.e. youth and/or community work, social work, social care, nursing, sociology, psychology, childhood studies, early years, Allied Health professionals plus 1 year experience working with children or adults with learning disability or complex health and/or behavioural needs.
OR
HNC/D in a care related subject plus 2 year experience working with children or adults with learning disability or complex health and/or behavioural needs.
OR
QCF/RQF/NVQ Level 3 in a care related subject AND 3 years paid experience working with children or adults with learning disability or complex health and/or behavioural needs.

Experience in supervising staff.

Experience of Safeguarding children or adults with learning disability or complex health or behavioural needs.


Shortlisting by Application Form









Registration

Registered with NISCC or have an application in progress to be listed on the NISCC Register of Social Care Workers (Part 2) or other Council e.g NMC or GSCC and maintain registration throughout employment.


Shortlisting by Application Form


Other
Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends may be required.

May be required to work across the Children’s Disability Teams.

Hold or must successfully complete My Safety Intervention training within 3 months of appointment and maintain MSI accreditation (through completion of yearly refresher training involving written/practical testing).

Must hold a full, valid manual driving licence with unrestricted entitlement to drive in the UK; licences valid only for a limited period under overseas driving entitlement arrangements are not acceptable. Also have access to a car on appointment and be able to drive Trust manual vehicles upon appointment.
This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.


Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:


Skills / Abilities

Understand all aspects of the role as set out in the job description.

Evidence of being an effective team member and also be able to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Effective problem solving and decision-making skills appropriate to the role.

Ability to complete assessments and effective risk management.

Effective communication and interpersonal skills when working with service users.

Proven ability to empower and advocate for service users.

Evidence of a strong value base.

Ability to organise, plan and prioritise tasks and be accountable for own workload and time management.

Ability to plan and facilitate group-based activities.

Evidence of being able to work independently and as a team member to achieve clear objectives and tight timescales.

Ability to effectively use both verbal and written communication.

Evidence of computer skills including the use of Microsoft Word, email systems and the internet as a research tool.

Good recording and report writing skills and the ability to deliver complex information in understandable terms.

Ability to work under stressful and demanding conditions.

Evidence of a high a level of resilience and sustainability.

Ability to be flexible and adapt to any changing needs in the service and for service users.

Willingness to engage in suitably identified training.


Interview


Knowledge/Experience

Relevant legislation, policies and procedures in respect of Family Support, Safeguarding and Looked After Children relevant to this post.

Understanding of the expectations in respect of confidentiality.


Interview

DESIRABLE CRITERIA


SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted

Factor
Criteria
Method of Assessment


Skills/ Abilities
Experience of working with individuals with communication difficulties including Makaton, PECS, social stories.

Currently have My Safety Intervention Training accreditation.


Shortlisting by Application Form


Knowledge/Experience


Evidence of knowledge of the Positive Behaviour Support Model.

Other training relevant to children, young people or adults with learning disability or complex health and/or behavioural needs.


Shortlisting by Application Form

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for The Organisation to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

To access a copy of the Access NI Code of Practice, please Click here

The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has guidance on the Recruitment of People with Criminal Convictions. To access a copy of this guidance, please Click Here

Protecting and using your information
To access a copy of the Trust’s Data Protection Policy Statement,
Click Here

THE ORGANISATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER. PLEASE CLICK ON LINK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION - Equal Opportunities Employer - HSCNI Jobs

Successful applicants:
may be required to attend for a Health Assessment
can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. Request for recognition of previous service with non-direct NHS/HSC organisations towards starting salary and incremental credit must be made via the Retained Recruitment team within 3 months from commencement of employment. Requests made after 3 months will not be considered.
If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.
If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times
All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times