- Suffolk County Council
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Address: Ipswich IP1 2BX, Felixstowe IP11 2JB and Lowestoft NR33 0EQ - Hybrid
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Salary: £34,434 per annum (pro rata for part time)
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Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
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Contract: Permanent
Reimagine the possibilities
Are you an experienced practitioner looking for your next step in Children and Young People's Services?
This is an exciting internal development opportunity for practitioners who are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children and families and are ready to take on greater responsibility within Family Help.
As a Senior Family Help Practitioner, you'll play a key role in supporting children, young people and families experiencing complex needs. You'll hold a more complex caseload, act as lead professional for allocated families, support colleagues through advice and guidance, and help drive high-quality practice across the team.
This role provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your practice, leadership and multi-agency working skills while making a meaningful difference to children and families across Suffolk.
Your role and responsibilities
As a Senior Family Help Practitioner, you will:
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act as Lead Professional for allocated children and families, coordinating support and interventions to improve outcomes
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undertake Family Help Assessments and contribute to Child in Need and Child Protection planning where appropriate
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hold a complex caseload, managing risk and supporting families to make sustainable improvements in their lives
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build strong working relationships with children, families, carers and partner agencies
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chair multi-agency meetings and family network meetings to review progress and coordinate plans
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use Suffolk Signs of Safety and Wellbeing principles to support strengths-based, solution-focused practice
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provide advice, guidance and role-modelling to colleagues, supporting continuous improvement across the team
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support peer supervision, mentoring and learning activities to strengthen practice.
About the team
At Suffolk County Council, we aspire for every child in Suffolk to live their best life. The Children and Young People's Directorate continues to improve and develop services that deliver sustainable change for children, young people and their families.
Family Help Teams are multi-disciplinary teams made up of social workers and alternatively qualified practitioners, supported by two Team Managers. They undertake assessments and planning for children receiving Targeted Early Help, Child in Need and Child Protection services and support children when they first enter care.
This is a supportive and collaborative service that values professional development, high-quality practice and continuous learning.
What you will need
We're looking for someone who is ready to build on their existing experience and take the next step in their professional journey.
Ideally you will have:
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a Level 5 qualification, or equivalent knowledge and experience in a relevant area of work
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experience of direct work with children, young people and families
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experience of supporting families where safeguarding concerns exist
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knowledge of solution-focused approaches, including Signs of Safety
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the ability to assess risk, manage complex situations and support positive change for families
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confidence in building relationships, influencing others and working collaboratively with a range of professionals and agencies
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strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload effectively
due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence and access to personal transport. If you feel you can meet these travel requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager before applying to discuss.
If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don't meet every requirement, we would love to hear from you.
Empowering Everyone
We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.
For more information
Please contact Steve Blaney, for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01502674649 or emailing [email protected]
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).
Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.
Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word).
Describe a time when you acted as a lead professional or coordinated support for a child or family. Tell us how you brought agencies together, any challenges you faced and what impact your involvement had.
Provide an example of how you have supported, coached or mentored a colleague to improve practice or outcomes. Tell us what support was needed, what actions you took and what was learnt or improved.
Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult professional judgement regarding a child or family's safety or wellbeing. Tell us what information you considered, what decision you made, why you made that decision and the outcome.
Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.
For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.
Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.
Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at [email protected] or 03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.
Closing date: 11.30pm, 14 September 2026
Interview date: 22 and 23 September 2026
This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.
As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.
In return, you’ll enjoy:
- up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
- membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
- performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
- training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
- a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
- diverse and active staff networks
- flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day
Plus lots more!
If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).
