Job info |
Job info details |
Job title |
Reducing Parental Conflict Coordinator |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Front Door |
Service |
Children’s Services |
Business unit |
Children’s Services |
Responsible to (day to day issues) |
Community Engagement Officer – Early Help |
Accountable to (line manager) |
Service Manager – Early Help |
Salary grade |
I |
JE ref |
CSERV015 |
1. Key purpose of job
- To support the delivery and operational development of Torbay Children’s Services approach to parental conflict.
- To ensure that Torbay Children’s Services provide safe, robust, child centred interventions to children and families where parental conflict is present in the child’s lived experience.
2. Anticipated outcomes of post
- The early identification of parental conflict and contribution to planning and coordination of services so that children and young people are protected from harm where their parents are in conflict.
- Children’s Social Care staff will be supported with specialist knowledge and training to ensure that children and families receive an appropriate, informed response where they are experiencing the impact of parental conflict.
- To contribute to partnership/inter- agency working to inform effective risk management and safety planning for children where parental conflict is identified as a risk.
3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post
- Provide a pro-active service and advice to families experiencing conflict in order to reduce the impact of parental conflict on children.
- Support the development of resources for families in MASH / SAF’s, SAT’s and CLA/ Care leavers service for all clients where parental conflict is identified.
- Ensure that social work and Early Help teams are kept up to date with changes in the local offer, interventions etc relating to parental conflict.
- Provide training to social workers and Early Helps teams around reducing parental conflict, learning and interventions. This will include Early Help practitioners across the Early Help Partnership.
- Support social workers and other practitioners in advising clients through the family law systems, explaining the procedures and their role and rights within that system where appropriate.
- Attend and contribute to Strategy meetings and Child Protection Case Conferences both as a support for clients and as a professional presenting a report dependent on circumstances – contribute to the formulation of children and families plans.
- To be involved in MASH screening of contacts and referrals that are received where parental conflict is evident; to share knowledge and expertise.
- Develop an individual care plan to meet individual risk and needs identified for each client where parental conflict is a key risk factor.
- Work alongside Social Workers and other practitioners across the Early Help partnership to ensure that clients receive the appropriate services and responses to which they are entitled.
- Understand the legal framework relating to the protection of children, and work within the policies and procedures
- Help clients to develop their own support network through signposting to support agencies.
- Refer on and support the arranging of meetings with other agencies/services as necessary, e.g. solicitors, benefits agency etc.
- Maintain and input into the Liquid Logic case management system.
- To develop and attend Drop-In Sessions to offer advice and guidance to social work and Early Help practitioners.
- Act as an advocate for the client at all times.
- Work as a part of all Social Work and Early Help teams in Torbay.
- To address all immediate risks and issues of safety and security, referring to appropriate agencies where necessary, paying particular attention to safeguarding issues.
- Proactively support and advocate for children who are exposed to parental conflict.
- Provide safe, non-judgemental support whilst exploring solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of our service users.
- To ensure that the development and delivery of support and advocacy recognises the additional barriers and inequalities faced by those from marginalised groups and communities and strives to promote at all times inclusive and anti-discriminatory practice across all aspects of the service.
- To lead on and contribute operationally to the development and delivery of short and long term projects aimed at addressing parental conflict internally and across the wider partnership, in order to address emerging issues.
- Engage operationally in the multi-agency and multi-disciplinary delivery of the joint partnership reducing parental conflict strategic aims and objectives in Torbay.
- Ensure that the voice of the child is heard and informs all parental conflict related practice and interventions.
- Engage with the development of parental conflict related performance data and provide necessary reporting on parental conflict activity in Torbay Children’s Services.
- Engage and support with the development of recording processes of parental conflict activity on the Liquid Logic case recording system.
- Engage with relevant auditing and quality assurance processes and practice development and learning in relation to parental conflict work in Torbay.
- To create, maintain and constantly develop effective professional relationships with: operational and senior managers within Torbay Children’s Services; external stakeholders including national government departments; and representatives from the local community, to support the delivery of projects, initiatives and services.
- To find creative and evidenced based solutions to parental conflict issues across Torbay.
- To operationally promote and engage with RPC and Craft interventions across Torbay Children’s Services. To develop, deliver and / or monitor the delivery of reducing parental conflict programmes and projects to ensure priorities are met.
- To engage with the development of the family hub network across Torbay and ensure reducing parental conflict is embedded in the family hub programme of activity as prescribed by the Government.
4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post
5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post
- There is no direct line management responsibility.
6. Working environment and conditions of the post
- Normal working environment and conditions (hybrid), with attendance at occasional meetings outside of office hours.
- To undertake lone visits to children and families at home or in other settings.
- Dealing with children / families with complex needs.
- Potential contentious situations including experiencing rudeness and abuse.
7. Physical demands of the post
8. Specific resources used by the post
9. Key contacts and relationships
External
- Any relevant partners including but not limited to: Devon and Cornwall Police; Voluntary sector organisations; Health.
Internal
- Staff at all levels across Torbay Children’s Services and the wider Council.
10. Other duties
- To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.
Other Information
- All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
- The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
- The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
- The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
- The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
- This post is office based at Tor Hill House but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
- The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
- If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
- As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
- Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
- The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures.
- As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2017 (part 7) the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
Person Specification
Note for Candidate
All Candidates
The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement.
In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.
Candidates who consider that they have a disability
Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.
If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.
Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.
If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.
Job info |
Job info details |
Job Title |
Reducing Parental Conflict Coordinator |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Front Door |
Service |
Children’s Services |
Business unit |
Children’s Services |
Skills and effectiveness
Essential skills and effectiveness
- Excellent communication skills with young people (groups & individuals).
- Effective communication skills with other professionals and an ability to maintain composure under pressure and to ensure that appropriate strategies are adopted to ensure personal resilience and a professional client-led service is delivered.
- Sensitivity, empathic understanding and diplomacy in all interpersonal relationships.
- Able to motivate individuals and other agencies to move through courses of action and decision making processes and taking proactive action.
- A methodical, organised approach to work, self-motivation and personal drive to complete tasks to the required quality and within timescales.
- Ability to work with corporate policies.
- Committed to, and able to demonstrate, anti-discriminatory practice.
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in a range of organisations.
- Ability to look beyond the job in hand, plan and prioritise.
- Flexible approach to working hours.
- Experience of working with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Ability to deal with emergency situations, juggle priorities and tight deadlines.
Desirable skills and effectiveness
- Effective presentation skills.
- Ability to deliver training to other professionals.
Knowledge
Essential knowledge
- A sound understanding and application of the legal framework relating to the protection of children and vulnerable adults as well as associated safeguarding policies and procedures.
- Knowledge of working with multi agency/ multi-disciplinary teams.
- Extensive knowledge of the impact of exposure to parental conflict as children on neurological development.
- Extensive knowledge of the impact of parental conflict on young people.
- Theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of the family court system and processes.
- Knowledge of the issues face by the LBGT Community.
- Knowledge of group work and individual programmes such as Parenting Apart and CRAFT.
- Understand the principles of risk assessment, safety planning and risk management for those affected by conflict within relationships.
Desirable knowledge
- Promoting a culture to safeguard the welfare of young people.
- Understanding the importance of inter-agency work.
- Effective IT skills.
Experience and achievements
Essential experience and achievements
- Experience of working with families experiencing parental conflict.
- Experience of working with children and families with multiple and complex needs.
- Delivery of face to face and Group work.
- Experience of multi-agency working.
- Experience of assessment, risk assessment, safety planning and risk management.
- Experience of lone working in the community and in clients’ homes.
Desirable experience and achievements
N/A
Qualifications/professional memberships
Essential qualifications/professional memberships
- Qualified to Diploma level 5 or equivalent qualification in either one of the following: Education, Health, Social Work, Youth Work or related field.
- Commitment to undertaking professional in-service training.
Desirable qualifications/professional memberships
N/A
Other requirements
Other requirements of the job role
- Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
- Ability to carry out the physical requirements of the role (i.e. manual handling).
- Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties.
- Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
- Ability to accommodate occasional/permanent home-working.