Family support worker jobs in westminster, greater london

Young Carers Sessional Worker  

Do you enjoy working with young people? Are you interested in supporting Young Carers by delivering engaging activities that promote wellbeing, reduce isolation and give them a break from their caring responsibilities? 

Then this job is for you! 

Job Title: Young Carers Sessional Worker 
Location: London, Wandsworth – Wandsworth Carers’ Centre (office-based and community/outreach) 
Contract Type: Sessional / Zero Hours Contract 
Salary: £15 per hour 
DBS Check: Enhanced required 

We are seeking a flexible, reliable, and enthusiastic Sessional Worker to support the delivery of services for Young Carers aged 5–16. The role involves two key parts. The first is helping to deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities that promote wellbeing, reduce isolation, and give Young Carers a break from their responsibilities. The second is supporting with outreach to local schools, colleges, community settings and professionals to identify and engage Young Carers. 

About The Role: 

You will work across two key age groups, 5–11 and 12–16, delivering and supervising activities, supporting events and trips, and providing behavioural management where needed. You will deliver awareness training sessions, run stalls and aim to identify and engage Young Carers in the community. You will also help ensure young Carers feel heard, included, and supported as they navigate the challenges of their caring roles. This is a sessional role, therefore hours are not guaranteed but will be offered based on project need.

Key Requirements Include: 

• Experience working with children, young people, or vulnerable groups 

• Ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with young people and their families 

• Reliable, punctual, and flexible 

• A strong understanding of professional boundaries and confidentiality 

• Willingness to work evenings and weekends 

• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice 

About Wandsworth Carers’ Centre: 

We are a busy, ambitious charity operating at the heart of the Wandsworth community since 1995, helping thousands of people across the borough in unpaid Caring roles. We give information and advice, organise respite, offer complementary therapies, deliver training, provide peer support, arrange fun events and much more.  In short, we are the Carer's friend and advocate, often helping Carers through difficult times. 

Wandsworth Carers’ Centre is an inclusive employer. We are committed to building a diverse organisation that represents the communities we serve and ensuring inclusion in everything we do.

Benefits of working for Wandsworth Carers’ Centre:   

Friendly team and working environment, contributory company pension, ongoing training and development opportunities and an employee assistance program.  

Closing date: 1st September 2025

Please note we will be interviewing candidates as suitable applications come in and therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy before the stated closing date. We encourage applications as soon as possible. 

SHINE is a membership organisation offering free services and support to over 14,700 members living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), and associated conditions.

We currently have 750 members living with NPH and this is growing significantly each month. This role will provide a specific focus on the area of NPH, whilst also supporting wider Shine activities. 

Main purpose of role 

Deliver a high-quality service to and facilitate opportunities for, individuals living with NPH/dementia and their families/carers through Shine membership across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Empower and enable members living with the conditions to lead healthy and happy lives through greater independence, better condition management and by creating links to the Shine community and their local networks. 

Raise awareness of NPH across Health & Social Care professionals and the public. 

Support the planning and delivery of the annual NPH Awareness Week. 

As part of a high performing team, support Shine to be recognised as the number one provider of support for NPH outside of the NHS. 

Promote and support all Shine’s services and activities. 

Shine will offer you: 

• Support to learn & develop by accessing training in NPH and dementia 

• Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings) 

• A competitive salary of £28,471 (pro-rata for part-time hours) 

• 3% pension contribution 

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays + additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year (pro-rata for part-time hours) 

• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave 

• Additional annual leave due to length of service 

• Broadband allowance 

• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment 

• Access to our Employee Support Programme

Please see the full Job Description & Person Specification below and on our website.

Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria for the job. 

To apply please submit your CV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteria.

*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted* 

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Janet VanValkenburg, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) / Dementia Manager by email to arrange a convenient time for a call. 

Closing date: Sunday 7th September at 11:30pm

Interviews:  Friday 19th September (virtual) 

Please note: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore we encourage applications as soon as possible. 

We’re looking for a kind and compassionate person to join our Family Support team, working directly with families who are facing the unthinkable – the news that their child has cancer or a life-challenging condition.

Primarily based at St George’s, Royal Marsden (transitioning to Evelina, Westminster in 2026), Kingston Hospital and St Peter’s, Chertsey. Travel to other partnered hospitals across London and Surrey as required. Includes at least one monthly meeting at our East Molesey office. 

As our Hospital Family Support Worker, you’ll visit children, young people and their families on the wards of our partnered hospitals. You’ll be a consistent, reassuring presence, offering emotional and practical support when it’s most needed – and helping families feel less alone.

You’ll meet families already known to Momentum, as well as take new referrals. You’ll also support families remotely who live further afield or are adjusting to life after treatment.

This role is about being that calm, empathetic and kind person who makes a difference just by showing up. You’ll be a trusted part of hospital life, and a key link between the families, Momentum, and the wider healthcare team.

Key Responsibilities:

· Offer emotional and practical support to families, being a warm and reliable presence during their hospital stay.

· Build trusting, non-judgemental relationships with parents, carers, children and young people.

· Meet families in hospital, explain our support services, and complete referral forms for further help.

· Work closely with hospital professionals, attending multi-disciplinary meetings, deliver training on Momentum’s service and sharing relevant updates with the wider Momentum team.

· Keep accurate records of your work, including family interactions and safeguarding concerns.

· Understand and follow all safeguarding, child protection, and lone working policies.

· Report any safeguarding concerns in line with our policies and procedures.

· Support Momentum’s fundraising and communications by sharing family stories (with consent) and identifying case studies.

· Ensure all actions reflect Momentum’s values and vision – that no family with a seriously ill child should have to cope alone.

· Comply with hospital policies around dress code, infection control, and health and safety.

· Attend team meetings in-person and online across London and Surrey.

· Complete training requirements relevant to your role.

· Carry out other reasonable duties to support the delivery of Momentum’s work.

Senior Family Support Worker (28 hrs a week)

Our client is a vibrant Surrey-based charity, committed to building futures for local people by providing services that support and assist disadvantaged and vulnerable people; their wide range of projects and activities aim to create happy, healthy and connected communities. They are now looking to recruit a dynamic Senior Family Support Worker (part-time, 28 hr a week – days flexible), providing high quality, tailored 1:1 and group support for families with children and young people aged 0-19 yrs old (up to 25 yrs for young adults with additional needs), enabling children and families to achieve and improve outcomes.

As Senior Family Support Worker, you will provide focused 1:1 and group family support, either at our client’s Family Centre in Mole Valley, out in the community or in service user’s own homes, depending on need. As Senior Family Support Worker you will provide support for the family using a variety of interventions including motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches and accredited parenting strategies. The post holder will be required to work with families as a lone worker and will support the Family Centre Manager in the general running of the Mole Valley Family Centre. You will identify and signpost beneficiaries to a range of specialist agencies who can offer further support and will collect appropriate data and information to ensure accurate programme monitoring and evaluation.

To apply for this role, you will have demonstrable experience of working with children, young people and families, both on a one to one basis and in group settings. You will have experience of providing tailored and personalised advice, guidance and support on a range of matters, and will have significant experience of working alongside partners and other agencies in developing and implementing joint programmes.  Overall, you will be a skilled communicator, passionate about delivering high quality whole family support.

If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting opportunity, please register your interest and submit your CV by clicking 'apply now' below.

At Prospectus, we are committed to building inclusive and diverse organisations and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you in your application. If you are enthusiastic about working with a fantastic charity that makes a real difference in people's lives, we would love to hear from you!

​​​​​​​Please note, this role will be based at the Mole Valley Family Centre in Dorking (with travel around Mole Valley district depending on service user need).

About UP

Unlocking Potential deliver high performing therapeutic programmes and education provision for children and young people with SEMH needs. We work in collaboration with families, communities, and other partners to ensure that children and young people access the interventions they need to thrive.

Mission

We work collaboratively with communities to enable children and young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs to unlock their full potential

Values

Trust

We build trust by being honest, transparent, and accountable in the way we work with children and young people, staff, and partners and by providing services and programmes whose outcomes are measurable and evidenced based.

Collaborative

Relationships are at the heart of our work. We prioritise communication and collaboration with partners, families, and communities, believing that by working together we create more effective and holistic outcomes for children and young people.

Empowering

We co-create opportunities for our children, young people, parents/carers and staff to actively participate in decision-making that influences change. We promote the voices of children and young people in our organisation and the wider community.

Nurturing

We provide a nurturing approach based on safety and space for creativity, exploration, and growth. We support and care for our children, young people, and staff to realise their potential.

Impact

We are committed to measuring our impact through a data driven method to develop our programmes and make a greater difference to the lives of children, young people, and their parents and carers.

Overview

We will be launching our new programme from September 2025, initially as a pilot working with families across Wandsworth, with aims to be able to expand and continue beyond this.

As a Family Support Worker, you will deliver flexible, hands-on, and therapeutically minded support to families facing multiple and complex challenges. You will build trusted relationships through home visits, school meetings, and practical support—empowering parents and carers to strengthen routines, manage behaviour, improve attendance, and access services. Your role will be guided by detailed needs assessments and focused on achieving meaningful outcomes with each family.

Family Support Worker

£24,000 pa + benefits (including 25 days annual leave, company car and pension)

This roles covers Thames Valley and the surrounding area.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.

About the role:

We are looking to appoint a Family Support Worker to deliver high-quality family support services as part of our Thames Valley Team.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager and working in partnership with health, education, and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social, and practical support to families where a child/young person has a life threatening or terminal illness.

Having worked in a stressful and emotional environment you will have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and helping people; and having provided bereavement support to families, you understand processes of grief, loss, and change - and how best to help others deal with its impact.

Location:

This role covers Thames Valley and surrounding areas. The role does require travel, however you have the freedom to plan your own diary around the demands of both the families you are working with, your team, and also any personal appointments you may need to attend.

What we’re looking for:

· An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have worked in a community environment and those with a recognised qualification in education, health or social care.

· A warm, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly.

· Practiced in child protection, information sharing and the rules around data protection - you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines.

· Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident user of IT (including MSOffice)

· A persuasive and open communicator, you will work collaboratively with your team and volunteers to ensure delivery of a high-quality service and support fundraising colleagues by writing case studies and family updates

· A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people, and their families – aware that being responsive to others needs and concerns, is essential.

What we offer:

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees. If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our website. More information can also be found in our Candidate Pack.

We also have a fantastic learning and development programme - the Anne Harris skills development programme - in which we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be the best they can be, and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Workers are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, and Introduction to Play.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs, with all family support workers having a foundation level of skills within their first year.

How to apply:

To apply please visit our website via the link.

Interview dates: Interview Dates to be confirmed.

Interviews will take place via Teams or in person with a date to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.

There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate the team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.

Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation. Registered Charity No: 1070532

Join Addiction Family Support

Addiction Family Support is the leading UK registered charity for people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, supporting over 3,500 people each year.

The Role: Services Manager

As Services Manager at Addiction Family Support, you will coordinate the development and delivery of our core services – ensuring they run smoothly, meet high standards, and continue to evolve in response to the needs of the people we support.

You’ll line-manage our team of part-time Family Support Workers and work closely with staff and volunteers across our helpline, one-to-one and group services, and training provision. This is a flexible, part-time role (with potential to grow) for someone who’s confident supporting teams, shaping services, and working with care, clarity, and compassion.

Your responsibilities will span service coordination, team management, safeguarding, and helping us pilot new services – all with the aim of reaching more people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling.

This is a remote role with quarterly team meetings in London. You’ll need to be comfortable working independently while staying actively connected to our supportive and collaborative team.

Responsibilities:

• Line-manage our team of seven part-time Family Support Workers.

• Coordinate and support the day-to-day delivery of services across helpline, one-to-one and group support.

• Help develop, pilot and evaluate new services to meet emerging needs.

• Support the development and implementation of key policies and procedures.

• Act as one of two Designated Safeguarding Leads (training provided if needed).

Join Our Team of Change-Makers

Are you ready to make a difference? We're on the lookout for vibrant, enthusiastic, proactive and collaborative individuals with the right skills and experience to become part of our incredible charity.

Be Part of Something Special

Our clients' continuous positive feedback speaks volumes about the impact of our work, and we take immense pride in it. Emilia Fox, one of our dedicated Patrons, stands with us in our mission.

Join an Award-Winning Journey

This is your chance to become part of an award-winning charity where every day is an opportunity to contribute to the greater good. If you're seeking a dynamic environment filled with compassionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change, we invite you to apply or reach out with any enquiries.

Centre 404 is a friendly, prominent and thriving charity with an excellent reputation for providing high quality support and services to people with learning disabilities and their families across 7 London Boroughs.  

The Camden Short Breaks Team, as part of the Children, Young People, Families and Engagement service at Centre 404, delivers person-centred homebased and community-based outreach support for children and young people with a learning disability.

Centre 404 is seeking a dynamic and organised Short Breaks and Family Engagement Manager to lead the development and delivery of engaging activities, workshops, and support services for children and young people with disabilities and their families. Based in North London, this role involves coordinating short breaks and family engagement activities across boroughs including Islington, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Haringey, and Enfield, in line with local authority contracts and community needs.

 Responsibilities will include:

•  ·Planning and delivering workshops, forums, well-being sessions and social events for families
• · Developing outreach programmes to engage family carers
• · Supervising volunteers
• · Using creative and tech skills to promote activities and monitor success
• · Building strong relationships with families, local services and professionals
• · Managing referrals and support plans for children and young people
• · Overseeing a team including supervisions, appraisals and team meetings
• · Maintaining accurate records and administration

An awareness of the challenges and safeguarding needs of people with learning disabilities and/or Autism and their family carers as well as a knowledge of relevant local/national policies, legislation, and current issues affecting services for our families will be essential.

We will also be looking for an understanding of person-centred planning approaches, including Short Breaks, ENCP, PBS, and support plans and a working knowledge of CQC standards and their application in delivery.

Centre 404 is dedicated to staff development and supervision and we will provide a detailed induction and on-going training and support. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and we are looking to recruit people who share these values. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced DBS check, proof of eligibility to work in the UK and two satisfactory references.

We are dedicated to providing a meaningful and rewarding work environment, as well as offering a range of perks and benefits for our staff to enjoy.

Centre 404 is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Charity ref number 299889

London Borough of Westminster

This is an exciting opportunity in the Westminster Outreach and Befriending Service for a Family and Volunteer Support Worker to deliver family support and volunteer peer service to families and children under the age of 5, new parents and their families, across the London Borough of Westminster.

This service provides a programme of support for pregnant women and parents/carers which includes face-to-face befriending in the home and community as well as support by phone and video. The aim of the programme is to increase the resilience and emotional wellbeing of parents who are experiencing isolation and require emotional/practical support.  

The Family and Volunteer Support Worker will work closely with the Team Leader and volunteers as well as the wider Westminster Outreach Service. The team works closely in partnership with Children’s Centres/Family Hubs, midwifery, health teams and mental health services.  You must be able and willing to travel regularly around London Borough of Westminster.

About Us

Family Lives is a national charity with over four decades of experience in helping parents deal with the changes that are a constant part of family life. We provide targeted early intervention and crisis support to families online, via our national services or in the community.

Family Lives offers good flexible working opportunities including flexibility regarding days/hours worked for part time staff and an option to work from home when not working in the community. In addition, all staff start with 27 days annual leave, pro-rata, plus bank holidays. This increases with length of service.

Please visit our website to obtain the job description, full person specification, and the link to apply using our online system.

Please ensure that you cover all criteria on the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting purposes.

Please note that the vacancy may be closed earlier if we get enough applicants.

Closing date: Wednesday 27th August 2025. Interview date: w/c 8th September 2025.

London Borough of Camden

This is an exciting opportunity for a Family and Volunteer Support Worker to deliver a volunteer support service for new parents and their families during the perinatal period across the London borough of Camden in the Parents Matter Perinatal Family Support Service.

This service provides a programme of support for pregnant women and new parents which includes volunteer face-to-face befriending in the home and community as well as support by phone and video. The aim of the programme is to increase the resilience and emotional wellbeing of new parents who are experiencing isolation and low-level mental health issues

The Family and Volunteer Support Worker will work closely with the Team Leader and other antenatal and perinatal Support Workers as well as in partnership with Children’s Centres/Family HUBS, midwifery, health teams and mental health services.  You must be able and willing to travel regularly around London Borough of Camden.

About Us

Family Lives is a national charity with over four decades of experience in helping parents deal with the changes that are a constant part of family life. We provide targeted early intervention and crisis support to families online, via our national services or in the community.

Family Lives offers good flexible working opportunities including flexibility regarding days/hours worked for part time staff and an option to work from home when not working in the community. In addition, all staff start with 27 days annual leave, pro-rata, plus bank holidays. This increases with length of service.

Please visit our website to obtain the job description, full person specification, and the link to apply using our online system.

Please ensure that you cover all criteria on the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting purposes.

Please note that the vacancy may be closed earlier if we get enough applicants.

Closing date: Sunday 10th August 2025. Interview date: Tuesday 19th August 2025.

Join Addiction Family Support

Addiction Family Support is the leading UK registered charity for people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, supporting over 3,500 people each year.

The Role: Operations Manager

As Operations Manager at Addiction Family Support, you’ll play a key role in keeping the charity running smoothly day to day. You’ll support our small, dedicated team by coordinating systems, processes, and technology that enable us to deliver our services effectively and professionally.

You’ll work closely with staff and volunteers across our Helpline, one-to-one and group services, and training provision. This is a flexible, part-time role (with potential to grow) for someone who thrives on organisation, problem-solving, and supporting others to do their best work.

Your responsibilities will span CRM and digital tools, data reporting, onboarding, and operational improvements – all with the aim of helping us support more people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling.

This is a remote role with quarterly team meetings in London. You’ll need to be confident working independently, while also contributing actively to our collaborative team culture and wider organisational goals.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain our CRM (Bitrix24), including client and volunteer pathways, automations, forms, SPA and task management.

• Train and support staff and volunteers to use key systems:

  • Bitrix24 (CRM).

  • VCC by Call Handling (Helpline telephone app).

  • Three Rings (Helpline rota scheduling).

  • Microsoft Teams/Zoom (video calls).

• Extract and report on data from key systems to support monitoring and evaluation.

• Support recruitment and onboarding of new staff and volunteers.

• Help develop and implement new policies and procedures to support quality and consistency.

Join Our Team of Change-Makers

Are you ready to make a difference? We're on the lookout for vibrant, enthusiastic, proactive and collaborative individuals with the right skills and experience to become part of our incredible charity.

Be Part of Something Special

Our clients' continuous positive feedback speaks volumes about the impact of our work, and we take immense pride in it. Emilia Fox, one of our dedicated Patrons, stands with us in our mission.

Join an Award-Winning Journey

This is your chance to become part of an award-winning charity where every day is an opportunity to contribute to the greater good. If you're seeking a dynamic environment filled with compassionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change, we invite you to apply or reach out with any enquiries.

Family Support Coordinator

£23,000 pa + benefits (including company car, 25 days annual leave, and pension)

London & the South East

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.

About the role:

We are looking to appoint a Family Support Coordinator to support our care teams in delivering a high-quality family support service in the region, working with families and professionals to ensure the families we support have access to the services they need.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager and working in partnership with health, education, and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for sourcing practical goods and services in the region, applying for grants and benefits, as well as working with other charities or community providers to obtain goods, equipment or funds for families that Rainbow Trust do not provide directly.

Having worked in a stressful or emotionally-demanding environment with an understanding of the complexities of working with children and families, you will have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and strong networks with other organisation to provide meaningful assistance to the families we support.

What we’re looking for:

· Professional experience of working in an administrative or coordinator role - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have provided services in a health, social care, youth or education setting within a charity environment.

· A friendly and socially-focused approach – you have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact and develop effective relationships with a wide range of people, you enjoy helping others.

· Well-organised, with a high level of attention to detail – you work well within established systems, produce high quality work and can manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

· Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident MSOffice user.

· A persuasive and open communicator, you are inclusive in decision-making and are able to build and maintain strong working relationships with external organisations and networks.

· A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people, and their families – aware that being responsive to others needs and concerns, is essential.

What we offer:

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, this includes.

• Flexible working hours to balance home and working life

• 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)

• Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand

• Company car for front line care posts

• Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts

• Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes, as well as a recommend a friend recruitment bonus

• Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year

• Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%

• The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping

• Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees. If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our website.

We also have a fantastic learning and development programme - the Anne Harris skills development programme - in which we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be the best they can be, and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Workers are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, and Introduction to Play.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs, with all family support workers having a foundation level of skills within their first year.

About us:

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of their time together, providing expert practical and emotional support where they need, it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.

How to apply:

To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.

Interviews will take place via Teams or in person with a date to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.

There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate the team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.

We are looking for a confident, compassionate and organised practitioner to deliver focused family support with a strong focus on early learning. This role combines practical support for families with children and delivery of child development interventions such as Making it REAL and Big Hopes Big Futures. You will also help build volunteer capacity, from supporting volunteers with resource bags to contributing to outreach, engagement and group work, depending on your experience.

Duties and Key Responsibilities:

Direct Support to Families

• Hold a small caseload of families with children delivering up to 2 hours of support per week on a short-term basis.
• Conduct home and community visits to support early childhood development, build resilience and improve family wellbeing.
• Work in a strength based and relationship building way, helping parents recognise and build on what they are already doing well.
• Deliver structured early learning interventions including Making it REAL and Big Hopes Big Futures.
• Support families to develop a rich and positive home learning environment.

Volunteer Development.

• Act as the first point of contact for child development resources, ensuring they are maintained and distributed to volunteers when needed.
• Offer shadowing opportunities and depending on your experience, support small group learning or supervision. Help to provide ongoing guidance and encouragement to help volunteers build confidence and skills.

Planning, Events & Outreach

• Work with the Lead Family Support Coordinators to deliver early learning events and community-based outreach.
• Help raise awareness of Home-Start Southwark services through local outreach and networking to increase referrals of families and volunteer recruitment.
• Develop good working relationships with a range of referrers and other professionals including health, education and social care.

Monitoring, Recording & Partnership Working

• Carry out initial assessments, reviews and end visits with families.
• Liaise with referrers and other professionals.
• Make referrals to other organisations.
• Record all work accurately and in a timely manner using the CharityLog (our internal system for which training will be provided).
• Contribute to impact reporting by preparing case studies and success stories.
• Attend and actively contribute to team meetings, training and supervision.
• Follow safeguarding policies and escalate concerns following our procedures.
• Promote a safe, fair and inclusive environment for all families, volunteers and colleagues.

General

• Help with occasional community outreach outside core hours when required.
• Support the wider Family Support Team as needed.

Salary: £29,120 per annum FTE (actual £19,968)

Contract: Permanent, following a 3-month probation period

Hours:24 hours across three days a week: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Do you want to make a tangible difference in the lives of some of the most deprived children in London? 

CARIS Families is a small frontline charity that offers holistic support to families experiencing homelessness in hostels in the London Boroughs of Camden and Hackney.  Amongst our other services, we run play and learning activities for children aged 0-16 from within 4 hostels in these boroughs, as well as a school holiday day trip programme.  Our services for children aim to reduce the stress on children and parents of living in overcrowded, insecure accommodation, and to put back essential childhood experiences that homeless accommodation deprives children of.

The services we currently offer our families in hostels are:

- Kids Club: an after-school play club in term time for 0-16s, run from our dedicated play club in the basement of one family hostel in Camden.

- Enrichment Trips and Summer Programme: a series of day trips for groups of families from our 4 hostels in the school holidays.  We take part in exciting activities and visit interesting destinations round London and the South-East, to ease the pressures of being stuck in the hostel during the long school breaks.

- Essentials Bank: Our Essentials bank runs weekly in term-time from two of our hostels, offering families free hygiene products such as toiletries, nappies, washing powder etc. to ease the pressure on family finances at a difficult time.

- Family Support Work and Housing Casework: we offer holistic casework to support families to ease the stress of their situation, from working on finances to supporting employment searches, to assisting with legal cases and supporting them to navigate their housing case and move out of homelessness as soon as possible.

We are currently looking for an experienced Play and Community Worker to join our dedicated frontline Family Services team, delivering this vital support to around 100 children and their families each year.

Responsibilities of the Role

The Play and Community Worker will:

- Deliver play and learning activities for children aged 0-16 at our hostel-based Kids Club’s play sessions during term time in the London Borough of Camden.

- Deliver our Enrichment Trips School Holiday programme during school holidays (in Camden, Hackney and the wider London and South-East England area)

- Deliver our term-time Essentials Bank programme, providing free household goods to families in hostels

- Assist the Services Manager with a range of administrative and operational activities to support the day-to-day running of our Family Services and CARIS Families’ operations as a whole

- Provide a warm and welcoming experience for children and their families attending CARIS Families’ services

- Engage enthusiastically and supportively with children in their play and learning experiences, through staff-led activities and facilitating child-led play

- Work proactively as part of our Family Services team, supporting colleagues, embracing change and contributing ideas to service development within our frontline Family Services.

Person Specification

We are looking for a Play and Community Worker who is:

- Qualified to Level 2 or 3, or prepared to work towards this qualification in: Playwork, Early Years, CYP Workforce, Youth Work or any related area

- Experienced in delivering play within a CYP or community work setting, and working with 0- to 16-year-olds

- Experienced in providing and facilitating safe and creative play experiences

- Passionate about improving opportunities for disadvantaged children

-  Understanding of the varied needs of children and their families, and of the impact of trauma and ACE on children’s development and wellbeing

- Able to maintain professional boundaries while supporting parents/carers and children empathetically, and with a person-centred, relational approach.

- Understanding of Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding best practice

- A good communicator, comfortable with working with a wide range of service users and professionals

- Proficient in use of Microsoft Office packages and basic web-based software applications (e.g. Canva)

- Reliable and diligent, with good time-keeping skills, who is able to work well as part of a team, take the initiative and lend a helping hand across our fast-changing, responsive frontline work