Family Support Worker
Maternity Cover up to 12 months
£24,000 pa + Company Car and benefits (including 25 days annual leave, reward scheme and pension)
Essex and surrounding areas, including Romford, Ilford, Harlow, Loughton, Chelmsford
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 for a fixed term period of up to 12 months, on a full time basis (35 hours per week) to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our Essex Care Team.
Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the Essex 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.
Location:
This role covers Essex and surrounding areas, including Romford, Ilford, Harlow, Loughton & Chelmsford.
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, 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
If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our website.
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, counselling skills, introduction to play.
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 via the link and apply online.
Interview Date to be confirmed
Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.
Interviews will take place at our Essex Care Team office with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful. If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.
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. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.
Who we are
For nearly 90 years, Yateley Industries has supported disabled adults to live, work, learn and play as part of an inclusive community.
Yateley is founded on the principle that disabled people should enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else. We have created a unique ‘village within a village’ environment where people can live independently, gain meaningful employment, learn new skills and connect with their community.
Today, we employ 58 disabled adults in paid supported work, provide safe and affordable accommodation and run a growing range of community and employability programmes.
Our impact is significant. Independent analysis shows that our model generates £5 in social value for every £1 invested in us.
Our next chapter
We are at a critical moment in our development. With demand rising, a 47-unit supported housing estate ready for redevelopment, new commercial opportunities emerging in our factory and increased national interest in supported employment, we are ready to accelerate our plans for growth.
To deliver this, we are appointing a Deputy CEO for Operations and Enterprise to provide strategic operational leadership and drive commercial growth across the organisation. This new role has been created to strengthen our senior team, improve our operational resilience and enable our CEO to focus on external influence, partnerships and national advocacy.
Why this role matters
Supported employment changes lives. National policy is shifting, employers are calling for inclusive recruitment pipelines, and our model provides a return on investment and makes a difference. With a 90-year heritage, a waiting list of people who want to work with us and growing national visibility, this is a rare opportunity to play a central role in transforming a charity with extraordinary potential.
Leading operations, income and enterprise
This is a significant role for us, and you will:
- Lead four major workstreams: intensive housing management, factory commercialisation, tendering and employability and community hub income growth
- Strengthen operational systems, quality assurance, safeguarding, governance and performance monitoring
- Build commercial and social enterprise capability, setting clear targets, developing pricing models and securing new contracts
- Lead the housing transformation programme, including the Intensive Housing Management application, estate planning and recruitment of housing and maintenance posts
- Provide a clear and motivating presence for frontline staff, disabled employees and programme participants
Your aptitude, values and aspiration for your own growth are what we are primarily focused on. We do not expect you to be an expert in every area on day one. You will be empowered to develop and grow, and will have access to specialist support, particularly on housing and tendering.
What matters most is your commitment to supporting disabled people, your willingness to learn how to lead in new areas and your desire to ensure that Yateley can grow and help even more disabled people thrive.
Please click 'Redirect to recruiter’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the job description and register your interest to apply.
We provide high-quality accommodation, meaningful employment, training and enriching opportunities for disabled and neurodivergent adults.



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