JOB TITLE: Family Liaison Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

SALARY: Kent Range 5

RESPONSIBLE TO: Pastoral Team Leader

HOURS: 37 hours per week Term time and Staff Development Days

JOB SUMMARY

To provide an intensive package of support as part of the Pastoral Support Team (PST) to address the problems family members face
To support children whose learning behaviour is having impact on themselves and others during the structured and unstructured times in the school day
To engage with the Phase Team assigned
To take a full part in the life of the school
To work closely with local community initiatives
To be prepared to work alone in a comparatively unstructured situation, in the families’ homes and have an ability to respond quickly to changing needs and circumstances

DUTIES AND OBJECTIVES

To provide a consistent and reliable service to families
To facilitate programmes of support for parents
To support high profile children in the classroom
To facilitate the Year 6 ‘Project Purple’
To maintain contact with families for an agreed length of time to help families develop moreeffective strategies and skills to improve outcomes for the whole family
To be responsible for individual work on cases agreed by the PST & SLT
To keep up to date electronic records on School Management Information Services

RESPONSIBILITIES IN WORKING DIRECTLY WITH FAMILIES

To ensure that all work with families respects and values all cultures and is appreciative ofthe variety of family structures and ways of bringing up children
To work with a case load of families identified by the PST & SLT
To undertake planned and emergency work using a range of intervention methods andskills.
To ensure the whole family has a plan that addresses and seeks to resolve the underlyingcauses of a dysfunctional and chaotic lifestyle.
To review the plan for each family regularly to monitor outcomes
To maximise the involvement of families in decisions that affect them and ensure that this is aprocess undertaken with the family, not to the family.
To be alert to Safeguarding issues within a family and raise these with their line manager
To assist in the evaluation of interventions
To develop and maintain the range of skills appropriate to the post and to keep up-to-date with research, publications, school policies and access training via PSTL as appropriate

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

ESSENTIAL

To have a love for children and a genuine desire to do your best for them
Educated to NVQ level 3
Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
Full valid driving license and car insurance for business purposes
Thorough and up to date knowledge of safeguarding legislation and best practice.

DESIRABLE

Qualifications to NVQ Level 4, diploma level or above, in the following areas:Health and or Social Care practices e.g. Socialwork, Probation, Nursing: General / Mental Health, Youth Offending, Education & Welfare,Substance Misuse, Housing & Community Development
Excellent Mediation and facilitation skills
An understanding of the needs of disaffectedand socially excluded ‘high risk’ families
Thorough and up to date knowledge of child and adolescent development

ATTRIBUTES

An ability to remain calm whilst workingunder-pressure and within tight timescales onsensitive and confidential issues
To be creative and proactive, able to use initiative and make sound judgements
An ability to deal with a number of tasks atonce and to be flexible with work routines
An ability to actively engage families througha variety of methods
To be able to work effectively as part of a team
to share skills, experience and knowledge
An ability to challenge and have a solutionfocused approach
A proven ability to understand and engage positively in reflective practice
Practical, determined, creative and dedicated