Family Worker

We're looking for a dedicated and compassionate Family Worker to join our Family Help Service, supporting children, young people and families to achieve positive and lasting outcomes.

You'll work in the Family Hubs and in the community, delivering a mix of targeted interventions, group work and practical support while helping to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all families.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the role

You'll play a hands-on role supporting families with a range of needs, working collaboratively to improve outcomes and prevent issues from escalating.

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

Holding a caseload and acting as the Lead Practitioner for families
Undertaking whole family assessments and developing outcome focused plans
Delivering direct work and evidence-based interventions with children, young people and parents
Facilitating Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings and supporting family led decision making
Building strong, trusting relationships with families, including those who may be reluctant to engage
Work closely with multi agency partners including schools, health services and social care
Deliver group sessions and parenting programmes within the Family Hub
Ensure the voice of the child is central to all plans and interventions
Monitor and review progress to ensure positive, sustained outcomes
Maintain accurate records and contribute to service performance and quality

You'll be passionate about supporting families and confident working in a fast-paced environment with children, young people and parents facing a range of challenges. You'll be someone who builds trust easily, stays calm under pressure and is motivated to make a real difference.

You'll bring:

A Level 3 qualification (or equivalent) and relevant parenting programme training
Experience working with children, young people and families in a support setting
Experience within a safeguarding and multi-agency environment
Strong assessment, planning and organisational skills
The ability to manage a caseload and prioritise effectively
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
Confidence delivering group work and structured interventions
A resilient, solution-focused approach, particularly in challenging situations
The ability to work collaboratively with partners and colleagues
A strong commitment to inclusion, equality and continuous professional development

You'll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you'll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed, Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to .

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years' service and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax