The Opportunity
Salary: NJC Grade 8 £32,597 to £35,412 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time, Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Location: You will be a Keyworker in charge of the Chichester area, with a base location at Arun Civic Centre, Littlehampton
Please note:
- This role involves regular evening work to either lead group work or to facilitate a young carer engaging in group sessions; this may include working early, late, evenings and some weekends.
- You will be required to travel independently throughout the county, including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.
- There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
Closing date: 09 August 2026
Interview date: Friday 14 or Monday 17 August 2026
Do you have experience of working with children and their families?
Do you enjoy engaging with and empowering others?
Do you hold an NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification?
The Young Carers (Family) Team has an opportunity to become a Young Carer Keyworker, as we expand to help support our children, young people, and their families in West Sussex.
As a young Carer Keyworker, you will support young carers through assessments and transitions to achieve positive change for them. You will be working in partnership with parents, carers, young people, and other professionals to meet the needs of young carers.
You will offer guidance and support to strengthen families in caring for their own children, and to build resilience of young carers where they manage complex family circumstances.
We are looking for someone who has a holistic family approach, who will support respite for young carers and who will plan and facilitate group activities.
You will need emotional resilience and excellent listening skills, as you will have prolonged periods of listening to adults and children who are often in distressing situations.
Key responsibilities of this role include:
- Raising awareness of young carers through training.
- Maintaining communication and liaising with local communities and services.
- Undertaking home visits and sessions with other professionals to provide specialist advice.
- Always maintaining confidentiality.
- Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Managing a caseload under regular supervision.
- Acting as a Lead Professional, co-ordinating and monitoring packages of support by assessing needs, risks, and options, considering legal and other requirements.
About you
You will be expected to use your initiative to organise your workload and will need to frequently make decisions in response to unanticipated problems for young carers and their families. You will need to demonstrate a resourcefulness to deal with situations, sometimes without access to more senior officers.
We are looking for someone with a willingness to work flexibly around the needs of the family and young carer, including working early, late, evenings and some weekends.
If you are creative and can work flexibly around the needs of young carers and their families, we would love to hear from you!
Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.
Key Skills:
- Ability to work effectively with families in crisis, managing own and others’ anxieties and working within the boundaries of the role. Ability to work in a demanding environment and to remain calm in difficult situations. Ability to listen to sometimes distressing details related to ill health, disability trauma, loss and bereavement with empathy and sensitivity.
- Ability to manage casework effectively with children/young people and their families, establishing needs, setting objectives and reviewing progress. Ability to analyse, assess risk and problem solve.
- Ability to listen, engage and work creatively in partnership with children / young people and their families in order to build an empowering relationship with all family members to effect positive and lasting change. Ability to work with families focussing on their collective strengths and resources e.g. using a solution focussed approach.
- Ability to plan, lead and deliver engaging and structured group work activities and to facilitate reflective group discussions.
- Ability to reflect on own practice and to learn from experience. To take responsibility for own performance and to be proactive in relation to own work and professional development. Ability to understand and follow policy and procedures.
- Ability to analyse and interpret complex information and prioritise needs in order to make recommendations / decisions which will have a positive outcome. Ability to use a range of screening tools. Ability to accurately record information.
For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
About Us
The Young Carers (Family) Team is part of the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate. The service aims to work with young carers, families, and partner organisations to help ensure that every young carer is supported to achieve his or her potential. Services and activities are provided either directly by the Young Carers (Family) Team or through commissioned partnerships.
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.
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
Employer Pension Contribution: TBC, this alters per annum on the 1 April each year (previous employer contribution for 2025 18.70%)
Annual leave: 27 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 35 days
How to Apply
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06457.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact David Brooks, Team Manager, at [email protected]
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter.
In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check.
Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact Natalie Greene, Recruitment Specialist, at [email protected]
Job Reference: CAFHE06457
