Family Assistants - Ukraine Support Team (3036)

3 posts | temporary contracts until 31 March 2025 | 37 hours per week | £27,344 to £29,439 per annum (Grade G) | Norfolk

1 post covering South Norfolk

2 x post covering Norwich City and Broadland

We are recruiting team members to support us in welcoming and supporting children and their families into our local communities having fled conflict in Ukraine.

We are looking for empathetic, compassionate and flexible individuals to join our team to help children and families who have come to settle here in Norfolk. We want to enable and empower people to live independently and thrive whilst living in here by giving them the confidence to access the services and opportunities available to them.

As a Family Assistant you will be visiting the families who have arrived from Ukraine to complete welfare checks for the children. The visits will take place with District Council colleagues or alone to ensure that children are safe and well and offer advice and guide to meet their needs.

As a Family Assistant you will need to consider the experiences and needs of families and children who have had to flee their country. You will consider the barriers to access they may face, ie. language and cultural differences. You will identify need and action follow up support, referrals or Early Help Assessment and plan intervention and support as required to meet the family’s needs.

Liaising with the Family Coordinators, Senior Pathway Advisor, the People from Abroad Team, and wider Children's Services; Partnerships, Inclusion & Practice teams and external services you will ensure that the best next steps of help are set into to motion.

Excellent face to face communication skills will be essential to the role. The ability to speak Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, or similar would be an advantage although not essential.

You will need to promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and have a good understanding of the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership threshold guide and experience of talking to and working with vulnerable people.

You will apply safeguarding principles and best practice to ensure that the Ukrainian children and families are kept safe and understand how to keep themselves safe regarding concerns of poverty, exploitation, human trafficking and abuse.

Although these positions will have a focus on the families arriving from Ukraine, you will also support children and their families in Norfolk accessing early help. You will work as part of the wider Children's Services; Partnerships, Inclusion & Practice team.

In you return you will join a supportive team community, within a hardworking and passionate environment.

A full UK driving license is essential to the role, although the posts are linked to a District area there will be a need to support the wider County team at times.

For an informal discussion about the positions please contact Sarah Squirrell (City/Broadland) /Roxanne Smith (South) Team Managers email cspcust@norfolk.gov.uk

These are some benefits you can enjoy by working for Norfolk County Council:

• Competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the ability to buy and sell leave
• Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service
• Flexible working opportunities including flexi-time, part time, remote and hybrid working – dependent on your job role and business need.
• Financial benefits such as:
  • ‘ Norfolk Rewards’ our employee discount programme which helps you save money on almost anything , from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.
  • A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers
  • Relocation expenses paid upfront (where applicable)
  • An advance of your expenses if you travel for work
  • Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions.
  • A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job.
  • Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension, new bikes and electric cars.

Before you apply , we recommend reading the full Job Description and Person Specification to help you demonstrate you meet the criteria. You can also find information on our Terms and Conditions here.

Already a Norfolk County Council employee? please apply using your @norfolk.gov.uk or @nccal.ac.uk email.

Closing date: Sunday 25th of June 2023