Required Skills Must be a qualified probation officer Job Summary Our Family Safeguarding multi-disciplinary teams are based at Wat Tyler West in Swindon. The teams work with children and families to help and support them in change. The teams work with Children in Need, Children subject to Child Protection Plans, Children subject to care proceedings and Children who are Looked After under Section 20 on a short-term basis. The teams use a partnership approach to support parents, families and carers experiencing the challenges of domestic abuse, mental health and substance misuse. The purpose of the teams is to tackle the impact of abuse and neglect from within the family on children’s welfare and where appropriate, to promote the upbringing of children by their families. The Family Safeguarding Teams use a Motivational Interviewing model of practice in their work. This is designed to empower and engage parents to make the positive changes needed to achieve improved outcomes for their children and their own wellbeing. They use a range of Family Program Modules within the FS Workbook to effect change. Family Safeguarding Teams are co – located multidisciplinary teams consisting of social work professionals and adult workers. Their aim is to work collaboratively with the right families, at the right time, respecting families’ rights, following guidance and law. They take a whole family approach to child protection to keep more children safely at home with their families. FS teams usually consist of: Team Manager Social Workers Family Practitioners Domestic Abuse Practitioners Domestic Abuse Officers Recovery workers (Drug and Alcohol) Mental Health Practitioners and Psychologists Business Support Officers PURPOSE OF THE JOB: To provide high quality assessment and interventions to the highest risk families as part of the Family Safeguarding Team within a context of ensuring the personal safety of those involved. This includes working with perpetrators of domestic violence and supporting victims. Duties specific to Family Safeguarding teams:You will be working full time as part of a Family Safeguarding team within our Children’s Service directorate. You will adopt motivational interviewing, as the unified method of practice, to genuinely engage families in change, rather than monitoring their compliance You will work with parents whose children are suffering or likely to suffer significant impairment or significant harm (child in need/child in need of protection). You will receive clinical professional supervision and development You will contribute to and participate in group supervision, team meetings, core group meetings and case conferences to support decision making in relation to children’s welfare and advise on treatment or care plans for parents of the children You will share information with colleagues as necessary, in accordance with relevant information sharing agreements. You will be required to carry out home visits You may deliver individual or group treatment programs/interventions as required Day to day work allocation and case responsibility will be managed by the Children’s Services Team Manager. You will be required to record on the Children’s Services database in addition to the database/recording system used by your employing agency. You should keep recording up to date at all times and prepare for group supervision with Team Manager and other colleagues as appropriate. MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY: Service Users: Work with other professionals within the Family Safeguarding Team, to develop and deliver services to perpetrators and victims of domestic abuse in a timely manner. Assess and contribute to the management of risk of harm to ensure the safety of family members including the development of a written safety plan. Plan, supervise, enforce and review the behaviors and levels of risk of perpetrators of domestic abuse by working as part of a multi-agency team to match levels of resources to assessed risk. Work with the perpetrator and the family to assess and manage risk of further harm ensuring that the perpetrator accepts responsibility for their actions and is working to change their behavior. Work closely with professionals in the Family Safeguarding Team, the police, probation service, mental health service MARACS and MAPPA to ensure that increases in risk of harm are escalated rapidly and a multi-agency plan is in place. Contact prisoners and contribute domestic violence and safeguarding plans as part of sentence planning, to reduce the risk of re–offending; contribute to recall decisions in consultation with the probation offender manager and SPO for prisoners in breach of licence, attend appeal hearings if required. Undertake home visits as required as part of risk assessment and management. Establish a “Thinking Skills” Group to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for appropriately assessed perpetrators, evaluate and report on the impact of this group, drawing in other professionals as required. Establish a “Building Better Relationships” Group for men with previous history of domestic abuse, evaluate and report on the impact of the group, drawing in other professionals as required. Provide an Anger Management Group to address a key factor in further violent incidents. Establish a “Caring Dads” Group for low-risk men to teach parenting skills and encourage positive parenting, evaluate, and report on the impact of the group, drawing in other professionals as required. Undertake rostered office duty to deal with urgent cases or queries Information • Obtain information about perpetrators of domestic abuse in high risk families through interviews and enquiries • Process information relating to individuals’ abusive behaviour; keep records and update Capacity for Change Workbook and other colleagues in the team where appropriate. • Ensure confidentiality and security of such information, sharing with other professionals as appropriate. • To assess benefit requirements of people escaping domestic violence and to direct them to housing and other benefits promptly where appropriate. • To ensure that victims are aware of their rights to legal protection for themselves and their children and to arrange for the provision of legal advice as required, accompanying to appointments if appropriate. Team Working • Contribute to the setting up of the Family Safeguarding Team and development of a new ethos and working practices aimed at improving outcomes for children. • Contribute to the planning, running and reviewing of the team’s work programmes. • Contribute effectively to team case discussion meetings and group supervision, exchanging information to support the work of the team and other agencies. • Contribute to team and self development and performance enhancement • Manage cases jointly with other team professionals, calling on other statutory and non–statutory providers of relevant services where appropriate. • To contribute to team risk plans in respect of individual families at risk of, or experiencing domestic violence to ensure their safety and security. • To work in partnership with other team members and agencies and to advocate for victims to ensure their needs are met, including liaison with housing providers and refuges, MARAC, Police, IDVA, SARC, Probation and MAPPA. • Advise team on risk assessment and risk management as required.