Closing Date: 28/06/2026
Location: Somerset
Salary: Grade 12 - The remuneration package for this role is £32,584 to £36,047 per annum for 37 hours per week (remuneration package includes a £3,986 recruitment allowance per annum, until 31/08/2028).
We have several permanent and fixed-term positions available across Somerset within Prevention and Social Work teams.
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
As a Family Intervention Worker, you will act as a key worker for children, young people and their families, providing focused, child-centred support tailored to individual needs. You will build strong, trusting relationships to assess family strengths and challenges, deliver creative and evidence-based interventions, and coordinate the right support at the right time to improve stability and outcomes for children.
Working closely with families and partner agencies, you will help reduce risk, prevent escalation into statutory services, and support children to remain safely at home or return home when possible. The role includes managing risk, maintaining high-quality case records, contributing to multi-agency planning, and responding to crisis situations for young people aged 10 and above, ensuring timely and effective support when it matters most.
What you’ll do – key responsibilities
- Assess children and families and co-create clear, outcome-focused intervention plans with families and partner agencies.
- Work intensively with children aged 10+ and families with complex needs to keep children safe at home, support reintegration and prevent escalation into statutory services.
- Deliver strengths-based, evidence-led interventions while actively identifying and managing risk.
- Act as key worker for a caseload, working closely with social care, education, health and other partners.
- Review progress, record outcomes clearly and contribute to reports and multi-agency meetings.
- Take part in an out-of-hours rota, including evenings, weekends and Rapid Response crisis work.
- Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people.
What we’re looking for – Knowledge, Experience & Skills
Essential
- Good standard of education (minimum 5 GCSEs/Level 3 or equivalent)
- Relevant qualification in working with parents or families
- Understanding and ability to engage families with complex needs
- Understanding of factors that can lead to adolescents being accommodated and how to prevent family breakdown
- Strong partnership working with children, young people, families and professionals
- Ability to carry out holistic assessments and work in an outcomes-focused way
- Knowledge of appropriate interventions and support for families with complex needs
- Knowledge of local community resources and partner services
- Experience of multi-agency working with children, young people and families
- Experience working with children and young people, including those displaying challenging behaviour
- Experience of working with families in crisis or at risk of care
- Experience completing holistic assessments of children and families
- Experience coordinating and/or chairing multi-agency meetings
- Experience developing and reviewing support plans to prevent accommodation or support reunification
- Experience planning alongside families to reflect their views and aspirations
- Experience managing and escalating safeguarding risks appropriately
- Ability to deliver or contribute to a range of interventions for vulnerable children and young people
- Effective use of IT systems for case recording
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
- Strong communication skills, with sensitivity to families with complex needs
Desirable
- Relevant Level 4 qualification
- Experience delivering parenting programmes to groups
- Experience using Early Help or similar assessment frameworks
- One-to-one and group work experience with young people
- Experience working in a related field (e.g. youth work, education, residential or youth offending services)
- Experience acting as a Lead Professional
- Training or experience in mediation
- Training or experience in return-home interviews for missing children
- Experience attending and contributing to multi-agency meetings
- Safeguarding or child protection training
- Training in recognised intervention or parenting programmes
- Further evidence of continued professional development
Additional Information
- Permanent, 37 Hour position
- Flexible/Hybrid working available
- You will need to be able to travel to meet the requirements of this role and be available to work evenings and weekends on a rota basis
- 28 days annual leave (additional to bank holidays)
- Interviews will be held W/C 6th July and W/C 13th July
Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
South Somerset (Yeovil)
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Kama McKenzie, Operations Manager, [email protected] or James Knibbs, Team Leader, [email protected]
Bridgwater & Taunton
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Carys Quinn, Operations Manager, [email protected] or Susie Figg, Team Leader, [email protected]
A full job description will be provided to shortlisted candidates or on request.
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