Family Help Practitioner


Company:	Suffolk County Council
Salary:	from £29,542 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Ipswich, IP1 5PF
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	6 Oct 2026
Closing date:	20 Oct 2026

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Summary

- Suffolk County Council

- Address: Landmark House, Ipswich IP1 5PB – Onsite and countywide

- Salary: £29,542 per annum (pro rata for part time)

- Hours: 37 per week, flexible working options available

- Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change. As a Family Help Practitioner in the Integrated Front Door, you’ll see the direct impact of your work on the children, young people and families that make Suffolk special. Join us and turn your passion for progress into action.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Family Help Practitioner, you’ll play a key role in supporting children, young people and families in a countywide role, helping them to achieve positive and lasting change.

In this role you will:

- act as the lead professional for families, building trusted relationships and working collaboratively to understand needs and develop meaningful plans.

- carry out home visits, assessments and planned interventions, using the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing framework to guide your approach.

- provide practical and emotional support, helping families navigate early signs of social, emotional, health or behavioural issues.

- work alongside social workers, health colleagues and other agencies to provide coordinated support.

- maintain clear, accurate and timely case records, making sure every child’s story is captured respectfully and professionally.

- recognise safeguarding concerns and escalate them appropriately with support and oversight from management.

- You’ll organise your own workload, problem solve effectively and contribute to group or multi-agency meetings.

Every day, you’ll be helping families move towards strength, resilience and safety.

You will need:

We hope you’ll bring:

- A Level 4 practitioner qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant area of work.

- A strong commitment to Suffolk’s WE ASPIRE values.

- An understanding of early intervention, prevention and child development.

- Experience working directly with children and families, including those with complex needs or safeguarding concerns.

- Confidence in delivering evidence‑based interventions and working creatively to help families make changes.

- The ability to identify risks, communicate effectively and work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals.

Due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence and access to personal transport. If you feel you can meet these travel requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager before applying to discuss.

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker, shaped by the voices of young people: find out more.

Even if you don’t meet every criterion, we encourage you to apply — we would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

You’ll join the Specialist Team within our Integrated Front Door – a team made up of Family Help Practitioners, Social Workers and multi-disciplinary specialisms. The specialist roles in the team provide support for those experiencing domestic abuse, children who go missing, children with disabilities and/or SEND needs, or are at risk of homelessness. Our Family Help Practitioner roles are a core component of the team and provide short-term, intensive assessment and support across the county. Our service is at the forefront of the Families First agenda and seeks to provide a timely response to children and their family’s needs. We are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people across Suffolk.

We work creatively, collaboratively and with compassion, always striving to ensure every child can live their best life.

Empowering Everyone

We are big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We are always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information

For a casual chat about the role/s, please contact our Service Manager, Milly Clark by email at milly.clark2@suffolk.gov.uk

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the  Supporting Statement template (Word).

1. Describe your experience of working directly with children, young people and families. What support did you provide and what outcomes were achieved?

2. Give an example of when you carried out (or contributed to) an assessment and developed a plan with a family. What framework/approach did you use and what was the outcome?

3. Tell us about a time you worked with other professionals/agencies to coordinate support for a family. How did you contribute to a joined-up response?

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by emailing  recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling  03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.

Closing date:  11.30pm, 20 October 2026

Interviews: Week commencing 2 November 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you’ll enjoy:

up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days

membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits

performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase

training and encouragement to expand your knowledge

a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation

diverse and active staff networks

flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).

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