Date: 1 Jul 2026
Location: Taunton, GB, TA1 4DY
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Company: Somerset Council
Closing Date: 19/07/2026
Salary: Grade 13 - £25,989 to £28,142 per annum
Location: Taunton (Opportunities also in Bridgwater, Wells & Yeovil)
Exciting opportunities available across beautiful Somerset – join our team in one of several rewarding roles!
At Somerset Council, we are proud to be on an ambitious journey to transform how we support children and families across the county. As part of our Families First Partnership programme, we are reshaping services to ensure families receive the right help, at the right time, in the right way—working together with partners across social care, education, Police, health, and communities.
This is a significant and exciting period of change. We are developing a more connected, relationship-based system that puts children, young people and families at the centre—strengthening early help, enhancing multi-agency working, and supporting more children to grow up safely within their families and communities.
To help us deliver this transformation, we are recruiting to several roles across Children’s Services, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful, long-term change and be part of a workforce committed to improving outcomes for Somerset’s children and families.
This role is offered on a fixed-term basis for two years, aligned to the delivery of our transformation programme. During this time, you will play a key part in shaping new ways of working, embedding innovation, and helping us build a sustainable system that makes a lasting difference.
If you are motivated by improving outcomes, thrive in a collaborative environment, and want to be part of a service that is evolving and forward-thinking, we would love to hear from you.
Role Summary
The Family Time Support Worker plays a vital role in ensuring that children can maintain safe, positive and meaningful relationships with their parents, relatives and significant people when supervised contact is required. The role exists to safeguard children during family time sessions while creating a structured, nurturing environment that supports strong and healthy family connections.
Through direct work with children and families, the role makes a significant difference by improving the quality of family interactions, promoting positive parenting, and supporting better outcomes for children. By offering guidance, modelling positive behaviours and contributing to assessments, the post holder helps inform care planning and supports decisions around reunification, reconnection and long-term stability.
Working closely with social workers, carers and multi-agency partners, the Family Time Support Worker contributes to Somerset Council’s wider ambition to strengthen early help, improve collaborative working and ensure children grow up safely within their families and communities wherever possible.
What you'll do - Key Responsibilities
Supervise face-to-face/virtual family time in line with court orders/needs
Facilitate sessions across settings (including out-of-hours where required)
Assess and monitor interactions, providing support to improve parenting and relationships
Contribute to care planning, parenting assessments, court processes, and family time plans
Deliver structured parenting interventions and support engagement before, during, and after sessions
Act as link worker, coordinating plans and reviewing progress with professionals
Provide/arrange transport for children to attend sessions
Maintain accurate, timely, high-quality records
Take immediate safeguarding action, including ending sessions and escalating concerns
Produce reports and give court evidence where required
Support transition planning for reunification/reconnection
Work collaboratively with professionals to meet children’s needs
Engage in training, CPD, and service improvement
What We’re Looking For – Knowledge, Experience and Skills
Essential
Knowledge: Awareness and understanding of rights of users and carers and the principles embodied within the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers; Awareness of relevant legislation; Knowledge of services relevant to users and carer’s needs and circumstances; Working knowledge of Social Care
Experience: Some experience in caring or supportive role – not necessarily in paid employment
Qualifications: Literate and numerate to GCSE level or equivalent; Willingness to work towards NVQ Level III in Children and Young People’s Workforce
Skills: Ability to undertake direct work with children and their families to improve parenting skills and relationships; Positive attitude to the use of computers and willingness to develop appropriate skills including communication on various virtual platforms
Desirable
Clerical/administrative experience
Social Care qualification; Manual Handling certificate
IT skills for data input, manipulation, and retrieval
Empathy, understanding, and respect for individual needs
Additional Information
28 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays
2-year fixed term contracts
A generous benefits package that supports your wellbeing, work-life balance and ongoing development
Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Heidi Carey, Senior, Family Time Support Worker,
[email protected]
1086/SR
