Senior Family Support Worker

Children's Services

Fostering

Senior Family Support Worker

Contract:
Permanent

Salary: £34,434 to £38,220 per annum (Grade
6)

Hours: 36.66 per week (office and community based any flexible working options to be discussed with Manager in advance, some unsociable hours agreed in advance to meet the needs of the service)

Location:
Spindles office as base

Closing Date:
Thursday 27 August 2026

Interview Date: TBC.

The Family Support Worker will provide intensive, relationship-based support to Special Guardianship families to promote placement stability, strengthen parenting capacity, and improve outcomes for children and young people. The postholder will work directly with Guardians, children and professionals to prevent family disruption and reduce the risk of breakdown.

This role is focused on strengthening family relationships, improving parenting capacity and providing early intervention to prevent placement breakdown, particularly where teenagers and trauma-related challenges are impacting family stability.

PACE training and experience of attachment-focused or trauma-informed practice is highly desirable.

• Deliver practical and therapeutic parenting support to Special Guardians to increase confidence and resilience in managing challenging behaviours.
• Support carers to understand the impact of trauma, loss, separation and adverse childhood experiences on children's development and behaviour.
• Provide coaching and modelling of effective parenting strategies tailored to the individual needs of children and young people.
• Develop and deliver parenting interventions, workshops and support groups where appropriate
• Support the service in identifying early signs of placement stress and intervene proactively to prevent escalation.
• Hold a small caseload and undertake direct work with families experiencing significant challenges that place the SGO arrangement at risk.
• Develop and implement support plans focused on maintaining family relationships and preventing placement disruption.
• Coordinate practical and emotional support during periods of crisis.
• Work collaboratively with social workers and partner agencies to ensure timely intervention and effective risk management.
• Build trusting, respectful and professional relationships with children, young people and Special Guardians.
• Use a strengths-based approach that recognises and builds upon family resilience and existing Family support networks.

• Experience of working with children, young people and families.
• Understanding of attachment, trauma and child development.
• Experience supporting families experiencing conflict or risk of relationship breakdown.
• Ability to engage and build effective relationships with teenagers and carers.
• Strong communication, assessment and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of interventions and outcomes.
• Contribute to assessments, support plans and reviews.
• Monitor progress against agreed objectives and provide feedback to professionals and families
• Desirable
• PACE training and/or experience of DDP-informed practice.
• Experience working with Special Guardianship, fostering, adoption or kinship families.
• Knowledge of placement stability and breakdown prevention work.
• Experience facilitating parenting programmes or family interventions.

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan:
Ready for the Future and Oldham Plan for further information.

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to…