Description
* Suffolk County Council
* Address: Community based - working across one of the following areas - Saxmundham/Leiston, Bury St Edmund or Stowmarket
* Salary: £28,598 per annum (pro rata for part time)
* Hours: 37 hrs (4 posts)
* Contract: Permanent
At Suffolk County Council we are passionate about improving the future for our customers, our communities and the environment. If you are too, join us as a Family Support Practitioner and make a huge and meaningful impact. Your innovation and drive will help us to continue improving and evolving. Our opportunities and support will enable you to make a difference and leave a positive, lasting legacy.
Reimagine the possibilities.
Your role and responsibilities
You will:
* Work directly with children and their families in their homes, delivering evidence informed targeted interventions designed to enhance safety, informed by comprehensive risk and needs assessments.
* Collaborate closely with Schools, Social Care, Youth Justice, VCFSE, Health professionals as well as others to develop and implement holistic, multi-agency family support plans.
* Support the delivery of supervised Family Time (contact arrangements) for children in care, ensuring a safe and positive experience.
* Also contribute to the delivery of group work sessions for children or their parents/carers.
You will need
* To have relevant transferable skills, experience, or expertise from previously working with children and families.
* A strong understanding of safeguarding practice is essential, along with the ability to assess, plan, and intervene effectively in complex family situations.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, IT proficiency, and the ability to work independently are crucial.
* A valid driver's licence and access to a personal vehicle for work are required.
You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (Word). If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.
The team
* The Family Support Teams are a highly experienced and supportive team, committed to developing new members to strengthen our well-established service. Our team culture is built on collaboration, ensuring we support one another in delivering the highest quality service to children and families, fostering positive and lasting change.
* We take a proactive approach, building and maintaining strong relationships to provide both support and constructive challenge where necessary. It is a privilege to facilitate meaningful change and witness the positive, long-term outcomes for the children and families we serve.
Empowering Everyone
We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're 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
Please contact Derek Ramsay, Service Manager for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling or emailing
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP) (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.
1. Tell us about a time you worked directly with a child or family in their home. What approach did you take to build trust and assess their needs?
2. Talk about a time you had to manage risk in a complex family situation. How did you balance support with safeguarding responsibilities?
3. Tell us about a time you worked with professionals from other services (e.g. schools, health, social care). How did you ensure a coordinated and effective response?
4. How do you prioritise your caseload and manage competing demands?
We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.
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 at or
You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you'll have another chance to request adjustments.
Closing date: 11:30pm, 10 March 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.