Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: Oakfield South Belle Vue Road, Earl Shilton, LE9 7PA + Oakfield North Forest Street, Shepshed, LE12 9DB
Worker Category: Field Based Worker
Salary: £38,700 - £41,373 per annum
Working Hours: 37 Hours
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 29th June 2025
Interview Date(s): 2nd July 2025
About the Role
Oakfield Short Stay Primary is a dynamic Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) 30-place pupil referral unit. We are dedicated to ensuring every child achieves success and realises their potential. Our Primary School operates across two bases, providing a supportive and engaging environment for pupils who join us following a permanent exclusion or dual registration from mainstream education.
Oakfield Short Stay School is seeking a dedicated Senior Family Support Worker to support the improvement of educational outcomes for children by supporting their families. This pivotal role is ideal for a proactive professional who is passionate about making a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable children and their families. In this position, you will be instrumental in guiding parents and carers through challenging transitions and facilitating access to essential services and community resources. You will work closely with the leadership team and take line management responsibility the Family Support Worker.
The Senior Family Support Worker will act as the first point of contact for parents and carers, particularly in cases of permanent exclusion or dual registered placements. They will be responsible for clarifying the Oakfield offer, arranging induction meetings and visits, and coordinating comprehensive induction plans and timetables. Providing advice and support with an anti-bias and inclusive approach is fundamental to this role, with close collaboration required between key agencies and professionals. The senior family support worker is often the first point of contact in the mornings, speaking with parents and transport staff to ensure a smooth start to the school day. This will require the successful candidate to start work before the school day commences.
A key aspect of the role includes informing and promoting services that benefit families in their educational journey. The Senior Family Support Worker will work alongside community professionals and voluntary groups to identify the training needs of parents, ensuring they have access to the support they need. Managing and analysing statistical data to monitor the effectiveness of services is also an essential part of this position, contributing to the school’s wider evaluation processes.
The Senior Family Support Worker will oversee the work of the Family Support Worker and play an active role as a member of the Senior Management Team. Leadership responsibilities include supporting staff in delivering family engagement initiatives and ensuring that interventions are structured and responsive to the needs of pupils and their families.
Safeguarding is a crucial aspect of the role, as the successful candidate will serve as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. They will be expected to maintain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of safeguarding requirements, ensuring that children are kept safe. Training staff on safeguarding procedures, maintaining accurate records, and liaising with local safeguarding teams are key elements of this responsibility. The Senior Family Support Worker will escalate concerns appropriately, always acting in the best interests of the child.
To be considered for the role, candidates must hold an NVQ Level 3 or HLTA qualification, alongside GCSE Grade C in Mathematics and English. Experience working with children in non-domestic settings and engaging families within their homes or external premises is essential. Candidates should have a strong background in supporting children with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Previous experience in managing small teams and developing initiatives in educational or childcare settings is desirable.
Oakfield Short Stay School is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for both staff and students. The school values collaboration, professional development, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families. If you are passionate about family support and inclusion and want to contribute to a nurturing educational environment, we would love to hear from you.
A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.
For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our .
About You
To apply for this post, you must:
Please refer to the 7 point criteria giving examples of how you meet the criteria below
1. Family Support & Advice – Act as the first point of contact for parents regarding exclusions and placements, providing guidance, coordinating induction plans, and ensuring an inclusive approach.
2. Service Promotion & Outreach – Inform families about key services, collaborate with community professionals to identify training needs, and manage data for monitoring and evaluation.
3. Management & Leadership – Supervise the Family Support Worker and contribute to strategic decision-making as a key member of the Senior Management Team.
4. Safeguarding – Serve as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, maintaining up-to-date knowledge, training staff, keeping accurate records, and escalating concerns appropriately.
5. Corporate Responsibilities – Ensure compliance with policies related to Health & Safety, Child Protection, Equal Opportunities, and Data Protection while maintaining comprehensive records.
6. Qualifications & Experience – Hold an NVQ Level 3 or HLTA qualification, with GCSEs in English and Maths, and have experience supporting vulnerable children and managing family interventions.
7. Key Skills & Attributes – Demonstrate strong communication skills, time management, ICT proficiency, safeguarding knowledge, empathy, and the ability to build positive relationships within the community.
You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
In addition, we also expect you to share and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.
Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in the page on our career site.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Visits are highly encouraged, if you would like to discuss the role further or arrange a visit please
Lewis Pegg or Craig Collins - Interim Co-Headteacher,
Email:
section on our career site.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal:.
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