Family Support Manager - Greater Manchester
£29,000 + Company Car and benefits (including 25 days annual leave and pension)
This post will cover the Greater Manchester region
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 Manager to lead our Greater Manchester Family Support team, including volunteers and a small caseload.
Reporting to the Head of Care out of our Greater Manchester team base and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for delivering a high quality family support service: and will act as the local Registered Manager for the Care Quality Commission, providing management and leadership to the team in relation to all safeguarding issues.
Having worked in a stressful and emotional environment within the community, you have a commitment to working in partnership with children, young people and their families, developing, monitoring and delivering service outcomes and building and maintaining successful professional partnerships to ensure the service is accessible to relevant families.
What we’re looking for:
- An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who understand the impact of family dynamics of having a child/young person with a life threatening or terminal illness and those who have worked in bereavement support.
- A poised and convincing communicator - you will maintain effective relationships with stakeholders including families, referrers, partners and other statutory, private and voluntary agencies.
- 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
- Comfortable with a changing environment - you will thrive working at a fast pace and controlling tasks form conception to completion and understand that quickly connecting with people is essential.
- A persuasive, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly - with a warm and friendly working style.
- Strong networking skills and confident use of MS Office - educated to A-Level with a recognised childcare and management qualification (NVQ4 or equivalent).
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
- BikThe 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, 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.
Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.
Interviews will take place at our Manchester 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. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.
Together for Short Lives is a charity that makes sure seriously ill children and their families get the care they need, especially at the end of life. We work closely with families, care professionals, and services to improve children’s palliative care. We also speak up to government leaders and decision-makers to help make sure families have access to the best support when they need it.
About the Role
As a Kentown Family Service Coordinator, you will be the first point of contact for families referred into the Kentown programme, helping them navigate health, social care, and voluntary sector services. You will:
- Carry out family needs assessments and co-develop personalised support plans with families.
- Build strong local relationships with health, education, and community services to ensure families can access the help they need.
- Promote the work of the Kentown Programme and Together for Short Lives and raise awareness of children’s palliative care in the region.
- Support family engagement events, training opportunities, and ongoing evaluation of the programme’s impact.
- Work collaboratively with the Kentown team, sharing learning and best practice across regions.
- This is a home-based role with travel across Lancashire, Cumbria, and Manchester.
About You
We’re looking for someone with experience in health, social care, or education who is passionate about supporting families. You will bring:
- Experience working directly with children, young people, or families with complex needs.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills with families and professionals.
- The ability to assess needs, coordinate support, and signpost families to the right services.
- Confidence in collecting feedback and supporting events or activities for families.
- A proactive, compassionate, and organised approach, with good IT and record-keeping skills.
- A full driving licence and willingness to travel are essential.
We exist to ensure every seriously ill child and their family gets the high-quality children’s palliative and end of life care





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