Family Practitioner

Job Introduction

Our Family Practitioners play a key role in working with children and families to support children to remain within their families. Providing crisis intervention and working collaboratively with social workers to support children in need, children on child protection plans and children in care.

You’ll be expected to undertake flexible, creative and imaginative approaches to offering support to children, young people, their families and carers whilst underpinning our restorative approach.

This may include being available outside of traditional working patterns, including evenings and weekends to provide support when it is needed.

• Be a key worker for children and families leading on early help assessments and plans and work collaboratively with social workers to support children in need, children on child protection plans and children in care.
• Work with children and families including contributing to parenting assessments, support mediation, crisis prevention, conflict resolution and Life Story Work.
• Carry out work outlined within assessment and planning on specific topics with children, families and carers (including but not limited to) staying safe, loss and grief, behaviour management, attachment and criminal exploitation.

• Hold a minimum standard of NVQ3 in respect of working with children and their families or equivalent plus an understanding of child development and the knowledge of mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse, poverty and other vulnerabilities and how these impact on families.
• Have the ability to communicate effectively with children, their families and carers.
• Have the ability to build relationships and deliver interventions to children, families and carers as well as be able to work effectively in conflict situations.
• Have the ability to use IT systems and to write a good standard of records.
• Have the commitment and ability to demonstrate restorative approaches to working with children and families.

We’re happy to talk flexible working.

This role is currently subject to a review of weekend working arrangements, including any paid enhancements.

Interviews will be held week commencing 10th of November 2025.

We are no ordinary county council. The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of people strategy. We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together.

This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

As an authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities. As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.