Family Support Worker; Short Breaks

Role Overview: Join Oldham Council’s Short Breaks team and make a real difference to the lives of children and young people with disabilities and their families. As a Short Breaks Family Support Worker, you will carry out holistic assessments and carers assessments to determine eligibility for respite support, complete duty receiving referrals for the team. You will review care packages that are in place on an annual basis to consider the current support needs, whether the support is meeting the outcomes identified for the young person, ensuring services are meeting the young persons individual needs.

Undertake mental capacity assessments. You will support children and families in preparing for adulthood. The role involves visiting children and families at home and school, working collaboratively with other professionals, and being part of a supportive, dedicated team committed to improving outcomes and promoting independence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct holistic assessments of children and young people with disabilities to determine eligibility for respite (short breaks) support.
• Manage duty referrals, screening and assessing whether children meet the criteria for further assessment.
• Complete short breaks review assessments, carers’ assessments and mental capacity assessments in line with statutory requirements.
• Support children and families in preparing for adulthood, promoting independence and positive transitions.
• Visit children and families at home and school, building strong relationships and understanding their needs. Gaining a child’s voice.
• Work collaboratively with other professionals across health, education, social care and care providers to deliver coordinated support.
• Ensure children’s needs and outcomes are being met.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to team meetings, ensuring compliance with safeguarding and council policies. Ensuring the good practice within the team.

Key Requirements:

• Assessment Skills - experience conducting holistic assessments and providing a recommendation and formulation a plan.
• Communication and Relationship Building - Strong interpersonal skills to build positive relationships with children, families, and professionals, ensuring the child’s voice is heard and outcomes are met.
• Multi-Agency Working - Experience working collaboratively with professionals across health, education, social care, and care providers to deliver coordinated support.
• Organisational and Case Management Skills - Ability to manage duty referrals and manage your own case load, maintain accurate records while complying with safeguarding and council policies.
• Knowledge of Preparing for Adulthood - Understanding of transition planning and promoting independence for children and young people with disabilities.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan:
Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘
Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our…