Family Hub Practitioner - AR

ROLE TITLE: FAMILY HUB PRACTITIONER

DEPARTMENT: EDUCATION & SEND, CHILDREN'S SERVICES

REPORTS TO: FAMILY HUBS DELIVERY MANAGER

RESPONSIBLE FOR: NO DIRECT REPORTS

GRADE: SCALE 6

ROLE DESCRIPTION

To undertake a range of activities within Family Hubs supporting existing services available to children, young people and their families including Start for Life, After School and Youth Services.

To operate as a Family Hub practitioner within the Family Hub Service in an agile fashion at a variety of sites within the borough providing support to family hub sessions, including reception duties.

To support with the implementation of the Family Hub outreach programmes across sites in the borough.

To work closely with integrated children's services teams and family hub partners to provide support for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

To work in partnership with a range of multi agency providers including Health Visitors, Midwives, Public Health, Youth Services, Schools, Early Years providers and others to improve outcomes for identified vulnerable children and their families.

To be knowledgeable and proactive in supporting and encouraging children, young people and families to take advantage of the Family Hub digital and virtual offer and other routes of advice and guidance.

To provide expert guidance to families about baby and child development to enable parents to support their child as they grow and achieve in health and education outcomes.

To facilitate and support peer groups where required.

The postholder will be expected to work flexibly across the 0-19 (25 SEND) age range to support work across the wider age range where needs arise in the borough.

The post holder will be expected to operate a 'Whole Family' approach in their practice and work around the times of the Family. As such, this post will be expected to work flexibly including, on occasions, at evening and weekends, and will be co ordinated by management as required.

Be prepared to undertake a range of duties including covering for Family Hub staff within sessions and reception.

ABOUT THE ROLE

• To provide reception and administrative support to the service and external providers who deliver sessions at the family hubs.
• To work to strengthen the resilience of children and families by supporting them to access digital services and information and guidance.
• To work with parents and carers, supporting children's and young people's developmental needs, stimulate learning, encouraging positive involvement in their development and education.
• To support children and their families to identify and build positive networks across local communities.
• To support outreach programmes and support for the home learning environment and support for vulnerable children and families that require transition support.
• To work alongside multi agency partners, to support high quality, evidence based interventions to identified children and families to improve outcomes.
• To ensure that the lived experience and voice of the child is central to all support offered.
• To ensure that children and their families are supported to participate in developing service design and service delivery as part of the co design principle of Family Hubs.
• Maintain records to a high and consistent standard in all relevant documentation in line with policy and ensure that all electronic systems are updated and maintained as appropriate.
• To work flexibly according to the needs of the community which may include evenings, weekends as and when required using Family Hub sites and outreach venues in the borough.

ABOUT YOU

You will need the following experience, knowledge & skills:

• Experience within a customer facing background
• Excellent written and spoken English to handle complex, technical enquiries
• Ability to manage high volumes of calls, emails, post, digital, and face to face contacts professionally and efficiently
• Ability to resolve issues with diplomacy and active listening, ensuring customers feel valued
• Ability to work as part of a team, manage workloads, organise work schedules and prioritise in order to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to work from the centre and promote the work of the service with other agencies, senior officers and departments within the Council and elected Members.
• Ability to work, on occasions, beyond 5pm and some weekends with prior arrangement
• Practice and promote current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on health and safety, safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children
• Organisational skills, sensitivity, grasp of the bigger picture and eye for detail
• Candidates will be expected to work in the family hubs, this is not a working from home role
• Candidates must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of part 7 of the immigration act - for the effective performance of a customer facing role).
• Can demonstrate ability to perform well in a customer facing role
• Can demonstrate competency with data management systems

Qualifications

Essential:

• Maths and English GCSEs at level 4 and above
• Experience of using Microsoft Office or equivalent, or the willingness to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills

Desirable:

• Previous experience in customer facing or front of house services
• Please note: This post requires an enhanced level of DBS Disclosure

ABOUT US

How we act defines who we are. At the heart of our organisation is a common approach to defining 'who we are'. We are looking for people that can build this into everything they do.

CORPORATE REQUIREMENTS

CIVIL AND OTHER EMERGENCIES

To support the Council's role in planning for and responding to civil and council emergencies using skills/expertise of the post holder, and in accordance with council emergency procedures. To provide emergency contact details for the purposes of emergency and service continuity plans. To ensure that you have read your Service's business continuity plan and keep abreast of any updates, so that you know what to do, if the plan is activated. To participate in any testing of emergency plans, as directed and take an active role in making suggestions to improve team plans.

DIGITAL

To use the Council's office-based and mobile IT services for the input, access and transmission of information using the appropriate level of information security and classification through the use of electronic mail, diaries, word-processing, spreadsheets and databases as well as any specific job related applications as required to carry out the duties of the post.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

To comply with information rights legislation and the Council's data quality and information management standards by applying information management related policies.

To report instances of non compliance, errors, omissions or inadequacies in procedures to the business unit manager.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

To take reasonable care for his/her own health and safety and any other person(s) who may be affected by his/her acts or omissions at work, in accordance with the Health & Safety legislation.

To co operate with the Council insofar as is necessary to enable it to comply with its duties under relevant health and safety legislation.

AGILE WORKING

H&F prides itself on being an agile workforce and promotes flexible working opportunities.

SAFEGUARDING OF CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS (FOR ALL FRONT-LINE STAFF IN CHILDREN'S SERVICES AND ADULT SOCIAL CARE)

To be aware of and work in accordance with the Council's child and adult protection policies and procedures in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults and to raise any concerns relating to such procedures which may be noted during the course of duty.

For further information on whether a Standard or Enhanced Disclosure check is required, managers should refer to Disclosure and Barring Scheme guidance

EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT

We're committed to making Hammersmith & Fulham one of the most inclusive borough's in the country; a place where everyone feels valued, included and has equitable access to opportunities.

Hammersmith and Fulham is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We work to eradicate discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, age and marital status. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.

We will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.