Specialist family support worker (role scope) – Behaviour change
Early Help and Prevention
Direct work with families
The post holder will hold a caseload where there is a significant factor in the family’s identified needs relating to behaviour change. This work is likely to be more complex and challenging than the family work held by your family support worker colleagues.
There may be occasions were joint home visits are undertaken to support the lead professional with specific interventions.
Information, advice and guidance
This role is the ‘go to’ place for the provision of ‘information’ regarding behaviour change issues. This centres on having a robust knowledge of resources and professional contacts to ‘sign-post’ EHP colleagues and the wider workforce. As part of this you would be able to support practitioners to explore ‘signs and symptoms’ and their own profession knowledge of behaviour change, to use relevant tools and resources and to understand any important pathways.
This role should be able to provide ‘advice’ regarding behaviour change issues. This centres on being able to outline options for EHP colleagues and the wider workforce in terms of next steps with a family, further exploration of issues and how & when to engage with relevant pathways. This said, it does not replace the need for prompt escalation to specialist services should the need arise.
Raising our profile across the City to develop our professional network, which could be done through some ‘quick wins’ at network meetings (i.e. issuing ‘Top Tips’).
There is no expectation that the post holder will provide ‘guidance’ on managing behaviour change issues or support the delivery of any clinical/counselling work. Where young people/parents are accessing specialist counselling support, the relevant qualified professional would manage this. This role is in no way considered to be a counsellor and would therefore not take responsibility for acute behavioural issues. This said, where EHP staff are working with such parents, the post holder may be able to provide an appropriate place to discuss their understanding of the situation.
Team Around the Worker input
Developing professional relationships with key service providers across the city to ensure that there is a two-way understanding of both the Early Help and Prevention service and theirs. This will support both general inter agency discussions and more robust joint working moving forward. This could be through semi-formal planned consultations or discussions, group advice sessions or through establishing ‘Topic Champions’.
In time, the delivery of relevant training for EHP colleagues and the wider workforce and potentially front-line workshops. This will need to be explored further as the role and needs of families develops.
The family lead professional will record case specific advice and actions agreed within EHP team on relevant family files.
Strategy input
Finding appropriate opportunities to link with relevant strategy working groups and plans (i.e. Health and Wellbeing).
Key Relationships
- CAMHS
- Adult mental health services
- Health and Wellbeing Board
- Relate (U-Matter)
- Wellbeing Service
- Locality Schools
- School Nursing
- Educational Psychologists
- Youth Offending