Be part of something transformative – where families lead the change.
Are you passionate about empowering families to make safe, sustainable plans for their children? Do you believe that the best outcomes are achieved with families, not for them?
This is your opportunity to join a forward-thinking service at the heart of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) – a proven, strengths-based approach that puts families in control and keeps children connected to their networks.
Don’t miss out: This is more than a job – it’s a chance to influence real, lasting change in people’s lives, every single day.
About the Role:
As a Family Group Conference (FGC) Coordinator, you will play a pivotal role in bringing families together to create safe, child-focused plans. You will act independently and impartially, ensuring every voice is heard and every plan is owned by the family.
You’ll be at the centre of complex, meaningful work – facilitating conversations that genuinely shape children’s futures.
Key Responsibilities:
- Coordinate and facilitate Family Group Conferences iFGC) n line with FGDM principles
- Build trusting, respectful relationships with children, families, and professionals
- Ensure that everyone attending the FGC is fully prepared, informed, and supported to participate
- Work independently while maintaining strong links with social work teams and partners
- Advocate for the voice of the child and wider family network in all planning
- Manage a varied caseload, including complex and sensitive situations
- Ensure high-quality recording and adherence to safeguarding and confidentiality standards
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking someone who has experience of working with children and families at times of distress and conflict,
You will:
- Be a skilled communicator, persuasive, confident in facilitating group discussions and managing dynamics
- Have experience working with children, families, or in a safeguarding context
- Be highly organised, able to manage competing demands and deadlines
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to strengths-based and restorative practice
- Be able to remain impartial, even in challenging or emotionally charged situations
- Value diversity and be able to engage respectfully with a wide range of families
- Be resilient, reflective and motivated by making a real difference
Why Join Us?
- Training provided
- Be part of a service that truly values family voice and participation
- Opportunity to influence practice, policy, and outcomes
- Supportive team environment with a shared commitment to learning and development
- Flexible working options – job share considered
Why This Role Matters
Family Group Conferences change lives. They help families find their own solutions, strengthen relationships, and reduce the need for social work intervention. As a Coordinator, you’re not just organising meetings – you’re creating the space for families to succeed.
Ready to Apply?
If you are a qualified FGC coordinator (or qualified in a similar role - education, social care or health) looking for a role where your skills, values, and passion can truly make an impact, we’d love to hear from you.
Location
The Family Group Conference Service, is based in Portslade Hub, Mile Oak Road, BN41 2PG
Interviews to be held: within 3 weeks of the application close date.
There is full information about the role below and attached but, if you would like an informal discussion, please contact Rebecca Bevis (Acting - FGCS Practice Manager) [email protected] or Nicola Bloom (FGCS Team Manger) [email protected]
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
Why work for us?
As a council, we want to:
- be connected
- be confident
- be innovative and creative
- be diverse and inclusive
- be healthy and psychologically safe
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development.
How to apply
Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.
As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
AI advice for candidates
We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application.
We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert.
All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process. Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants’ responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
