Purpose of the post
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the centre of everything we do.
•Ensure that the 'Voice of the child/family' is central to the support.
•Provide bespoke support packages to families (parents, carers, children and young people) to promote positive parenting and in response to the individual needs of families.
•Implement courses/groups and one-to-one work in the parenting field and support families by working in an integrated manner with various services to run a bespoke and quality service for families.
Responsibility for functions
•Course equipment
•IT equipment and mobile phone.
•Access to confidential Children's files.
•Small budget for parenting courses and activities e.g. hiring facilities, resources, childcare, transport etc.
Main duties
•Hold one-to-one sessions with families either at home or Flying Start settings by implementing a structured plan that has been agreed with the teams such as Flying Start/Families First at the referral panels.
•Work with children and their carers to identify 'What matters to them' and find ways to meet personal goals.
•Work in a way that empowers and motivates the children and families by using a positive approach with the whole family. Building on the skills and strengths of parents, children and extended family to develop resilience, self-reliance and taking independent action.
•Carry out thorough and specific assessments to identify the needs and strengths of families using specialist skills, training and experience to support parents and their children, such as Family Links and Triple P.
•Work with families to plan a range of interventions or services to meet the individual needs of the family. Create a research-based intervention package/family plan for complex cases and frequently review the plans to match the needs of the families. Report to parents on their achievements using the Outcome Star.
•Record information and prepare reports including the assessments and evidence of the distance travelled. Record information and case notes on the relevant data system such as WCCIS/MOSAIC.⁠ Ensure that family notes are completed effectively and in a timely manner using the 'voice of the family/child'.
•Input into systems to monitor the provision to measure the impact of the programmes and ensure effective performance management systems. Record the information and data reports in a timely and organised manner and ensure that all requirements are met for all external agencies in relation to progress and monitoring of work programmes.
•Record any concerns accurately and professionally, sharing concerns with the department's designated safeguarding person and making referrals to the Children's Team when necessary. Comply with the Council’s policies and procedures relating to any safeguarding concerns.
•Responsibility for attending the professional meetings about the family to report, review, monitor progress, and discuss individual family programmes if an invitation is received. Create reports for and attend family meetings by the Social Services and the Children's Team.
•Find solutions to any barriers and report barriers that cannot be overcome locally to the team leader.
•Provide information and advice to children and their parents/carers about the support available from the service and refer them (with permission) to suitable services in the community including local and national groups and organisations.
•Practise in an ethical manner in accordance with the Unit's code of conduct and the professional code of practice for social workers. Present a professional image and work flexibly.
•Responsibility for the implementation of courses/classes and one-to-one work in parenting by working in an integrated manner with various services e.g. the Neuro Team to run an inclusive and quality service for families.
•Familiarise with the range of available programmes to support families and implement a host of interventions using the most effective and appropriate intervention to correspond with the needs of families.
•Implement parenting programmes by:
oWorking with parents to meet their children's needs
oWorking with parents to meet and identify their own needs
oEnabling parents to develop methods of how to deal with behaviour and issues in a child's daily life
oCommunicating effectively with parents
oProviding access to information
oIdentifying methods to improve the skills of parents
•Implement effective and successful initial assessments for the family support work.
•Work closely with the Team Around the Family to offer appropriate interventions to families in Gwynedd.
•Support new and inexperienced staff to run initial courses by observing, co-running them and offering support as necessary so that the courses run effectively.
•Motivate a new parenting group provision in collaboration with various partners by:
oIdentifying suitable locations to run new courses by conducting appropriate risk assessments.
oCollaborating to identify childcare placements such as the Plas Pawb nursery to correspond with the running of the parenting courses or establishing an occasional childcare provision on the new sites if it is a regular programme and seeking the advice of CIW to ensure that the provision conforms with the necessary regulations.
oIdentifying appropriate staff and agreeing on a full commitment to hold parenting courses.
oCollaborating to identify suitable parents/carers.
oCoordinating the initial assessments.
oIdentifying any other barriers e.g. transport.
•Work closely with the Flying Start/Families First team and other agencies to co-ordinate and co-host various groups across Gwynedd. Work on developing groups and activities attracting specific groups.
•Ensure careful spending on the budget and any other resources given to the team e.g. Childcare payments or transport costs. Keep a record of session expenditure reporting back to the Senior Officer/Team Leader.⁠
•Monitor and organise resource stock. Maintain specialist equipment, check quality/safety, and undertake specialist repairs/adjustments as required.
•Attend staff, team and other working group meetings of the Early Years Unit as required.
•Use of a car is essential with a full driver's licence.
•Responsible for self-development.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management standards and guidelines. Ensure that personal information is handled in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds with the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsible for reporting immediately any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused to a designated safeguarding person within the department.
Special circumstances
The officer will need to work unsociable hours occasionally⁠⁠.