Family worker jobs in East of england

We have opportunities to join our experienced and dedicated Family Services Team working within the visitors’ centre at HMP Highpoint, providing a personal welcome for first-time and returning visitors to help them access the services available to them.

HMP Highpoint, part of the main HMP Estate. offers a varied and exciting opportunity to work in a busy yet rewarding environment where no two days are the same. You will be required to obtain and retain enhanced security vetting for this role.

We are seeking a Family Support Worker to join the team in providing effective and efficient running of the Visitor Centre, Tea Bar, Play Area in the Prison Visits Hall, assisting on Family Days to ensure prisoners and their families have a valuable visiting experience, improving the quality of visits for children, young people and families, and helping to maintain positive, healthy and supportive family relationships.

Ideally, you will have experience of dealing with people in a customer service-based role and be able to demonstrate excellent communication and problem-solving skills, sometimes under challenging circumstances, whilst embracing a non-judgemental and empathetic work ethic. Experience of providing play activities for children of a range of ages is essential.

Please note: You will need to have access to your own transport as HMP Highpoint is not accessible by public transport.

Salary: £15,386 per annum (based on Real Living Wage of £13.45 per hour) 

Based: HMP Highpoint Visitors’ Centre

Working Pattern:

We run the visit centre on Wednesdays/Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays & Mondays, and the rota-based shift pattern for this post is as follows: 

• Mondays (5 hours – 12noon to 5pm (with no unpaid break), 
• Wednesday (5.5 hours – 9am to 3pm with 30-minute unpaid break)
• Fridays (5 hours – 12noon to 5pm (with no unpaid break), 
• And one full weekend every other weekend Saturday (5 hours - 12pm to 5pm with no unpaid break) and Sunday (8 hours – 8.30am to 5pm with 30 minute unpaid break).
• The Average hours will be 22 hours per week.
• For all options, a degree of flexibility will be required at times to meet operational demand. 

For further information and to apply, please visit our Work With Us page via our Ormiston Families website.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 11th May 2026

Safeguarding and DBS requirements for your role: 

Ormiston Families is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. We are an equal opportunities employer; we value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Camberwell with delivery across all London Boroughs

Ref CFC-261(0.5)

Closing date: 18 May 2026 at 9am.

Are you a proactive, compassionate and collaborative individual with a proven record of successfully engaging with challenging families and young people? Do you have lived, personal experience of the Criminal Justice System and/or care system?

If so, join St Giles Trust as our Children and Families Caseworker to support young people and their families who are at risk of Youth violence or criminal exploitation.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

The Children and Families team will support 45 young people and their families a year as part of our Greenwich Gangs team. Gang involvement increases the risk of violence and victimisation to the young person, their friends and their family, therefore, it is essential when supporting young people to exit gangs we adopt a ‘whole family’ approach.

About this key role

As a Children & Families Caseworker, you will be tasked with providing both face-to-face and virtual/remote 1:1 case work to children, young people and their Families who are at risk of; involved in or on the periphery of gangs and serious youth violence.

You will use your cultural competency and lived experience to engage young people involved in serious youth violence and exploitation. You will be one of 4 practitioners for this geographical area, providing a holistic approach to supporting young people and families in the community. Contributing towards the overarching aim of reducing harm, risk and exclusions (where relevant), you will work closely with social workers, youth offending agencies and schools/PRU’s, developing a relationship based on trust, which prioritises safeguarding.

You will play a central role in deterring young people from offending and safeguarding families who may be at risk. You will work with them for a set period, aiming to reduce key risk factors and behaviors. We will be relying on you to maintain the high standards of the service, ensuring the successful delivery of the outcomes, and compiling reports and recording data where necessary.

What we are looking for

• To have lived, personal experience of the Criminal Justice System and/or care system.
• Experience of working with socially excluded children, young people and adults and of providing advice and guidance and/or mentoring to them.
• Experience of successfully engaging with challenging families and young people, e.g. those who have complex needs, people who are reluctant to discuss their needs and people who are angry and confused.
• Understanding of the UK care system and the challenges faced by those who enter it.
• Knowledge of gangs, knife crime and patterns of offending in London.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection and risk management practice
• Understanding of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
• Strong IT skills, including case recording systems and standard Microsoft applications

Please note: this role requires an Enhanced DBS check with child barred list.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, access to clinical supervision, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

Closing date: 18 May 2026 at 9am. Interview date: w/c on 25 May 202

Shine supports a community of over 15,000 members living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus, including 5,000 children and young people (0–25).

You will be delivering high-quality support and creating opportunities for children and young people living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus and their families/carers. Supporting Shine members to lead healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives by improving condition management and fostering connections within the Shine community. 

This role will focus on children and young people (0–25), you will be primarily working within the Children, Young People and Families team. However, there will be occasions when you will work across age groups to ensure the best outcomes for our members. 

The role is home-based but you will be required to attend regular clinics in London including GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital). Other travel across Southern England including Bristol, Devon and Hampshire may be required. There will be occasional travel required across wider areas and nationally including attendance at events, conferences and meetings at our head office in Peterborough. 

Benefits: 

• Competitive salary: Review due April 2027 

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

• 3% pension contribution 

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year 

• Additional annual leave awarded for ‘long service’ 

• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave 

• Broadband allowance for home-based roles 

• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment   

• Access to our Employee Support Programme and Mental Health First Aiders  

• Support to learn and develop  

How to apply  

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

If you would like to discuss the role please email Gill Valentine, Deputy CEO, to arrange a convenient time for a call.  

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* 

We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of your application, but we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated. We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications.  

Closing date:  Monday 17th May 2026 at 11pm  

Interviews:  Tuesday 26th May 2026  (Virtual) 

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

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

Context

Childhood First enables children and young people to recover from early life abuse and relational trauma, to enjoy life and to achieve their potential. We do this through the provision of specialist therapeutic residential care and treatment, together with family and network support.

Greenfields House is a specialist residential children’s home providing a programme of care, treatment and education for up to ten children aged between 5 and 13 years.

Role Description

The role of the Placement and Family Support Worker is to directly support, maintain and develop the network around the child, liaising, building relationships and communicating between multiple agencies and multi-disciplinary roles, these include, the local authority, social workers, family members, carers and significant others and the child in placement.

Within the community, the role is closely linked with each child in placement and will closely work with the Community Director and the senior management team to ensure that it meets the therapeutic and educational needs and interests of each child. This will necessarily include working closely with professionals and developing their expertise in a psychoanalytic-systemic approach to care, education and treatment.

Responsibilities include:

• Ensure that plans for the process of assessment, co-ordination and delivery of placement and family support and transition plans are developed and managed on a day-to-day basis to agreed standards.
• Co-ordinate and facilitate contact arrangements, linking with networks and families in a manner which is integrated with the community’s existing relationship and contribute to and develop its professional effectiveness.
• Contribute to the holistic assessment of needs of children, families and networks.
• Devise and develop tailored packages of support based on assessment.

We would like to hear from you if you have a Level 3 qualification or substantial work experience related to social care, social work, family support or early help. The ideal candidate will also have experience working with children, adolescents and families and have knowledge of parenting skills.

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro rata)
• Health benefit package and life assurance
• Up to 6% pension contributions

Closing date: Friday, 15 May 2026

Interview Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2026

To apply Please submit your CV with a covering letter describing your suitability for this role or complete the application questions below.

Childhood First is committed to safeguarding children. We follow safer recruitment guidelines and all appointments will be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS and references.

Family Support Worker – Thames Valley

£24,000 pa + Company Car (with an approx. retail value of £23,000-26,000, taxable benefit in kind of £6-£8K) and other excellent benefits

Thames Valley and surrounding areas.

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 a high-quality family support service as part of our Thames Valley Care Team.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the Thames Valley Care Team 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 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.

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 are a Best Companies Two-Star rated organisation, an outstanding place to work! We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, including:

· Flexible working hours to balance home and working life

· 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

· 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)

· Time off in Lieu

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

· Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes

· A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme

· 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

As part of our learning and development Anne Harris Skills Development Programme, 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 their best and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Teams 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, introduction to play, drawing and talking training.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs.

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 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:

Please visit our website and apply online.

Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.

Interviews will take place at our Thames Valley Care Team office with the dates 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 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 we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

HMP Norwich, part of the main HMP Estate, offers a varied and exciting opportunity to work in a busy yet rewarding environment where no two days are the same. You will be required to obtain and retain enhanced security vetting for this role.

The Ormiston Families team based at HMP Norwich provide a personal welcome for first-time and returning visitors to help them access the services available to them.

We are seeking a Family Support Worker to join the team in providing effective and efficient running of the Visitors Centre on Saturdays. This will involve booking visitors in for visits, serving refreshments to visitors, providing information for visitors who need additional support, signposting and making referrals to other prison departments. The overall purpose of the role is to ensure that prisoners and their families have a valuable visiting experience, improving the quality of visits for children and families, helping to maintain positive, healthy and resilient family relationships.

Ideally, you will have experience of dealing with people in a customer service-based role and be able to demonstrate excellent communication and problem-solving skills, sometimes under challenging circumstances, whilst embracing a non-judgemental and empathetic work ethic. You will have had experience working with children and families or be able to demonstrate a commitment to this area of work. 

The salary for the post is £4,895 gross per annum (based on 7 hours per week off the Real Living Wage full-time equivalent of £24,479)

Based: HMP Norwich Visitors’ Centre

Working Hours and Patterns:

·The work pattern is every Saturday 8:30 – 4pm (7 hours with 30 minutes unpaid break)

·The successful candidate is expected to be available outside of these times to carry out essential training, attend Team Meetings on a Wednesday morning (scheduled in advance every six weeks), and the prison induction on one Monday and Tuesday.

·Overtime, particularly on Sundays, is often available.

·A degree of flexibility will be required at times to meet operational demand.

For further information and to apply, please visit our Work With Us page via our Ormiston Families website.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 11th May 2026

Safeguarding and DBS requirements for your role: Ormiston Families is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. We are an equal opportunities employer; we value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Camberwell with delivery across all London Boroughs

Ref CFC-261

Are you a proactive, compassionate and collaborative individual with a proven record of successfully engaging with challenging families and young people? Do you have lived, personal experience of the Criminal Justice System and/or care system?

If so, join St Giles Trust as our Children and Families Caseworker where, as part of our London Edge-of-Care
(L-EDGE) project, you will provide specialist support to children and young people who are experiencing complex disadvantage and are at risk of entering the care system.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

London Edge-of-Care (L-EDGE) is a 36-month project which aims to create positive outcomes for up 60 children and young people a year who are at risk and on the edge of being taken into local authority care. The project focuses on intervening before any formal care proceedings have taken place and provides a whole family approach.

About this key role

As a Children & Families Caseworker, you will deliver intensive, trauma-informed and whole-family support to children and young people at risk of entering care. This will involve carrying out comprehensive needs assessments, risk assessments and safety planning, and working alongside families to develop and review action plans that address practical, emotional and safeguarding needs.

This is a highly relational, outreach-based role, requiring regular travel across London Boroughs. You will work closely with Children’s Social Care and other statutory and voluntary sector services to deliver coordinated, effective support. You will also play a key role in identifying risk, including child criminal and sexual exploitation, and ensuring appropriate safeguarding responses are in place.

What we are looking for

• To have lived, personal experience of the Criminal Justice System and/or care system.
• Experience of working with socially excluded children, young people and adults and of providing advice and guidance and/or mentoring to them.
• Experience of successfully engaging with challenging families and young people, e.g. those who have complex needs, people who are reluctant to discuss their needs and people who are angry and confused.
• Understanding of the UK care system and the challenges faced by those who enter it.
• Knowledge of gangs, knife crime and patterns of offending in London.
•  Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection and risk management practice
•  Understanding of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
• Strong IT skills, including case recording systems and standard Microsoft applications

Please note: this role requires an Enhanced DBS check with child barred list.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, access to clinical supervision, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

If you have any queries, or require further support, please contact us. 

Closing date: 11 May 2026 at 9am. Interview date: w/c on 18 May 202

Spectra’s Family Support Social Worker will provide frontline support to people living with HIV in South West London. These will include assessment, emotional support, advice and advocacy around housing, benefits or immigration. They will also facilitate signposting and refer service users into internal and external services including Counselling, Peer support, as well as other linked-in services.

Work in this post requires a social work qualification with demonstrable knowledge of social work models and interventions including strengths-based practice models. Contact with the individuals, their families, representatives of professional and community groups and the general public is a significant aspect of this post.