Family Support Officer (Fathers)

Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.

We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.

( Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)

For further information about this post please contact Susan Layton on 01286 678824 or via e-mail: SusanLayton@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

Application forms and further details available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH

Tel: 01286 679076

E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

CLOSING DATE: 10.00 AM, 14/05/2025

**We wish to restrict the post of Family Support Officer (Fathers) to male applicants only, using the GOR in para 1. sch 9 of the Equality Act 2010

The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.

If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.

Person Specification

Personal attributes
Essential
A positive attitude towards service users and colleagues.

A person who has the imagination to train individuals/groups in an interesting way.

A diplomatic and welcoming personality

A calm and flexible personality.

Enterprising, confident and prepared to take reasonable risks.

Able to work with a wide range and variety of people.

Able to prioritise work and meet specific timescales.

Able to work as part of a team.

Desirable
-

Qualifications and relevant training
Essential
A degree / or Level 5 qualification in education, social work or health/care.

A Level 4 qualification is accepted if the candidate is willing to work towards the level 5 requirements.

And a qualification equivalent to NVQ/QCF level 3 for support workers, or willing to work towards this qualification.

Desirable
Training in an evidence-based parenting programme.

Relevant experience
Essential
Experience of working with children, young people or families within the care, education, social work or health field.

Experience of assessing and responding to various and complex needs, with focus on building on strengths and introducing change.

Experience of involving children, young people and their parents when planning, developing and delivering services.

Experience of working in multi-agency settings, and of fostering relationships.

Experience of marketing a service to a varied audience that includes professionals, children, young people and parents/carers.

Experience of implementing family support programmes or groups

Desirable
Experience of providing professional advice and information to many audiences

Skills and specialist knowledge
Essential
The ability to work innovatively and creatively within a multi-disciplined context.

Skills in effective work planning and in reaching targets and accomplishing tasks.

Awareness of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences), and the ability to use this information to develop and implement effective interventions.

Knowledge of safeguarding, childcare legislation, and Child Protection procedures.

The ability to identify parents' parenting capacity, and risk and protective factors.

Understanding of a child's development.The ability to identify and measure needs by using various methods.

Skilled in preparing and creating clear, concise and effective reports and documents.

Good computer skills and the ability to use Microsoft Office programmes (e.g. Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint).Use of a car and a full current driving licence

Desirable
Understanding of Health and Safety regulations

Language requirements
Listening and Speaking - Higher
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions.Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.

Reading and Understanding - Higher
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal.Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.

Writing - Higher
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

Job Description

Purpose of the post
• Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.

• Implement courses /classes/ activities and one-to-one parenting support with fathers, working integratedly with other services to run a bespoke and quality service for families in Arfon and Dwyfor.

Responsibility for functions
• Course Equipment and resources

• IT equipment - Laptop and mobile phone

• Small budget to arrange courses and parenting activities

Main duties
• Responsibile for arranging courses, classes, activities and one-to-one parenting support for fathers by co-working with services to run a bespoke and quality family service.

• Have knowledge of the range of programmes available to support fathers, implementing support interventions using the most effective and suitable intervention to suit the fathers' needs.

• Collaborate on the Early Years Transformation Project, supporting the interventions and specific projects relating to Fathers.

• Support the Transformation Project to update any systems or service in place for the benefit of fathers in Arfon and Dwyfor.

• Implement parenting programs by:

• working with fathers to meet their children's needs;

• working with fathers to recognise and identify their own needs;

• enabling fathers to develop strategies to deal with behaviour and any issues that affect a child's daily life;

• communicate effectively with fathers;

• provide access to information;

• identify methods to improve skills of the fathers.

• Implement effective and successful initial assessments for the family support plan.

• Support parenting provision in collaboration with other agencies and partners by:

• Identify suitable locations for running new courses and activities such as outdoor activities and play while carrying out appropriate risk assessments

• Working together to identify childcare settings for parenting courses.

• Identify appropriate staff and agree a full commitment to running courses or activities;

• Working together to identify suitable fathers;

• Co-ordinate the initial assessments;

• Identify any other barriers e.g. transport.

• In collaboration with appropriate colleagues, market the services available e.g. summarise the information about the work to fathers quarterly.

• Work together to establish and maintain systems to monitor delivery by measuring the positive impact of the programmes and ensuring effective performance management systems. Generate information and data reports in a timely and tidy manner and ensure that all requirements are met for all external agencies in relation to progress and monitoring of work programmes.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Parenting Strategy to ensure that fathers are involved in the planning, development and delivery of their own services.

• Attend and actively contribute to a range of meetings, events and seminars addressing development-related issues in family support to cascade updates on current issues and mindsets: local, regional and national networking.

• Provide careful management of the budget and any other resources given to the team e.g. administering petty cash payments for the effective running of the programmes.

• Ensure that what matters to the family is at the centre of everything and that the response to this need is tailored in partnership with the family in a positive and constructive manner, and based upon assessment or a comprehensive family plan.

• Recognise that the parent/child is the expert on his/her life, and assist in noting what would help them, and build on their strengths and skills by using motivational skills and interviewing.

• Coordinate the provision of courses and groups by:

• Becoming accustomed to the range of available programmes to support a family and implement a range of interventions, using the most effective and appropriate intervention according to the needs of families.

• Coordinating referrals and waiting lists for courses/groups, and maintaining an open dialogue around this with referrers, parents and managers.

• Identifying suitable locations and conducting risk assessments.

• Identifying and organising childcare provision of a high standard jointly with parents.

• Coordinating initial and closing assessments in order to measure the distance travelled.

• Ensuring that safe and suitable transport is arranged for attendees.

• Using positive group leadership skills to ensure that courses and groups are run effectively and satisfy guidelines and rules regarding loyalty to programmes within the parenting field.

• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary integrated team and respect the skills, expertise and contributions of colleagues. To take joint responsibility for ensuring that work happens in an integrated manner.

• Collaborate with service referrers such as TAF Coordinators and Flying Start to ensure that the family support team contributes to care and support plans to ensure that the parenting provision meets the individual's requirements.

• Attend and contribute operationally to a range of meetings, events and seminars which address matters associated with development in the parenting and family support field in order to disseminate the latest information regarding current matters and mindsets.

• In collaboration with the appropriate colleagues, market the team's work, making use of social networks and Gwynedd Families Hub.

• Collaborate to establish and maintain systems to monitor the provision by measuring the impact of the programmes and ensuring effective performance management systems. Produce information and data reports in a timely and organised manner and ensure that all performance reporting requirements are satisfied.

• Responsibility for self-development.

• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy.

• Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.

• Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

• Commitment to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council's Carbon Footprint.

• Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.

• Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.

Special circumstances
• 37 hours a week

• There will be a need to work unsociable hours occasionally