Family Solution Practitioner, Children Social Care
PO1 – PO3 : £41,964 pa rising in annual increments to £49,638 pa incl. LW
Full-time/ Permanent
Hybrid Working - 2-3 days per week
Family Solutions (Edge of Care) is a service designed for young people between the ages of 11 and 17 years old and their families, where the young person is considered by the local authority to be 'in crisis' and consequently on the cusp of a reactive care episode.
Edge of care family solution is a bespoke team that work alongside the lead professional to offer a bespoke, targeted intervention to complex families. Families are at the centre of our work. We provide a service that asks families what their best hopes/goals are and support the family to work towards their best hopes. Our work is to prevent children from entering the care system, when it is not in their best interest to do so. We are team of dedicated and skilled practitioners working alongside the family. Our aim is to identify 'workable' solutions to help improve their relationships they share with each other.
The team is made up of passionate, hardworking and supportive multi agency practitioners. Family Practitioners use their creativity to support families to make the adjustments needed to care for their children.
Family solution practitioner will have a small case load of families they support intensively for positive outcomes. We provide family sessions in the home and in the community according to the needs of the family. Work will vary from family to family and no two days are the same.
Key Responsibilities
- Ability to work creatively with children, young people, and their families by providing tailored support to prevent children coming into care.
- Knowledge of the children’s act for example S17/S20
- Attend statutory meetings such as CIN and CP.
- Ability to complete reports and action plans where the child is the focus.
- Work collaboratively with professionals from other departments such as Health + Education
About You
We are looking for a compassionate and resilient individual with significant experience of working with children, young people and their families in challenging circumstances. You will have experience in a similar field such as social work, youth offending, family support or youth work. The ideal candidate will be experienced in working with families who have complex issues where there is family breakdown.
You will need to be able to use relationship-based practices to work creatively, flexibly and intensively to build strong supportive relationships with families. You will need to be able to create a good rapport with family members to support positive change. You will have the ability to work towards sustainable change, which allows children to remain with their families and networks where it is safe to do so. You will be knowledgeable using practice models such as Signs of Safety with families to assess and respond to harm.
You will have proven experience of working within multi agency teams, contributing towards planning, assessments and review for children and their families. You will be a good team player with a ‘can do’ attitude. You will be enthusiastic and self-motivated about the work and have a passion for families to maximise their potential.
If you are interested in the role and would like to find out more details, please contact Chris Johnson, Team Manager (cjohnson1@lambeth.gov.uk)
We are a Stonewall diversity champion; a Living Wage Employer and we guarantee to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role.
Successful candidates will be asked to apply for an Enhanced Certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Further information about the DBS can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs
In addition, you will also be required to undertake a Cifas check from the Fraud Prevention organisation. Further information can be found here https://www.cifas.org.uk/
Please note we operate an anonymised application process. When uploading your Supporting Statement and CV, please use the ‘cover letter’ link and remove your personal details.
You must upload a Supporting Statement and CV for your application to be considered.
Interested?
Click on the apply button and complete an on-line application, along with uploading your Supporting Statement and CV, explicitly evidencing how you meet the shortlist criteria marked with an ‘A’ on the job specification.
For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification in hyperlink below:
JD and Person Specification
Closing Date: 14th September 2025 at midnight
Lambeth aims for quality services and equal opportunities for all and is committed to safer recruitment