Hub Support Assistant

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position. West Sussex County Council is looking for Hub Support Assistants to join our Early Help Service. The West Sussex Family Hubs and Best Start in Life programme brings together services that support children and families from pregnancy through early childhood, ensuring every child has the foundations they need to thrive. Our priorities focus on reducing inequalities, strengthening parental and community resilience, delivering high-quality early help, and creating seamless support across health, education, and family services. A Best Start Family Hub supports families from conception, through the child's early years and up to the age of 19 (or 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). Family Hubs can support all families, but it is particularly important that they are designed to be accessible to families experiencing social or economic disadvantage or those from minoritised groups who experience exclusion. As a Hub Support Assistant, you'll play a key role in ensuring our full-time family hubs are safe, welcoming and accessible for families, children and young people. You'll work as part of a dedicated team within both our family hubs and local communities, providing information, advice and guidance around a range of issues to families, children and young people aged 0-25. A key aspect of the role will be providing practical support to families experiencing crisis, including organising food parcels. Facilitating stay and play sessions within our Family Hubs. A key element of our offer is our community outreach and as a Hub Support Assistant you would be out across many community venues delivering the offer and promoting the Best Start in Life programme. Ideally you would have access to your own vehicle as you will be required to travel across the area. Helping to provide a safe and welcoming space for young people through the Find It Out (FIO) offer is essential. You'll be able to speak confidently with young people, understand their needs and be able to help them access appropriate support, at a time that suits them, including after school hours. Having a good understanding of what services are available in the local community for families, children and young people and being confident to signpost to these will be key. You will assist in maintaining effective partnerships with a range of organisations and outside bodies.

Key Skills:

• Good communication, customer service and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with the general public and act as a point of information / advice / guidance where appropriate.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to confidently work with children, young people and families e.g. dealing with complex queries and family issues, responding appropriately to challenging behaviour such as aggressive or distressed individuals.
• Ability to work as part of a team completing shared tasks in order to deliver a service to others.
• Ability to meet set deadlines and to understand when problems need to be referred upwards, e.g. in responding to complaints promptly for a quick accurate solution.
• Analytical and judgement skills in order to effectively assist with customer queries.
• Proficient IT skills, using Microsoft Office Suite, in order to be able to use the Service computerised databases, photocopiers, scanners and the internet., GCSEs with A-C (9-4) passes including Maths and English, or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating that level of numeracy and literacy.
• An IT qualification or equivalent experience demonstrating good working knowledge of IT systems / procedures.
• Level 3 Information, Advice and Guidance qualification - Desirable
• Experience of dealing with the public and providing excellent customer service, including providing specialist information, advice, and guidance.
• Experience of team working.
• Experience in the delivery of child or family support services in the statutory or non-statutory sector - Desirable
• Valid and full driving licence and access to a vehicle / ability to travel around the county independently - Desirable
  
  Reward and Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:
• 24 days annual leave + bank holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme
• A range of flexible working options