WHAT DOES A FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER JOB ENTAIL?
social care needs are
ever-evolving, growing and developing as society does – and with it so too are
the roles and responsibilities of careers and support workers. There are now
many different types of social care work and as you review careers in the
field, you’ll also discover many different job titles.
One such title is Family Support Worker,
a very specific type of social care worker, and here, we look at that role.
WHAT IS
A FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER?
A Family support worker
is a social care worker who works not just with individuals, but family units
as a whole. They may offer practical, personal and emotional support to
families in need of help on either a long- or short- term basis.
A Family support
worker’s job is to work to encourage cohesion between all members of the family
unit with an end goal of nurturing a safe, happy, healthy environment. Care
support may be given in a specialist family or custody center but is usually
provided in the family home. Family support workers are typically employed
either by local authorities as part of a wider social care team, by charities,
or by private care agencies. They work alongside social services (indeed often
a family is referred to a specialist family support worker by a social worker),
local authorities, health professionals, and in some cases, family lawyers and
solicitors.
WHAT
SORT OF SALARY CAN A FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER EXPECT TO EARN?
Salaries for family support worker jobs vary greatly,
dependent on a few factors, including, but by no means limited to: employer,
qualification level, responsibility level, and geographic area of work. Broadly
speaking, a family support worker can expect to start on around £20,000 p.a.
(up to £24,000 p.a. in London), and supervisory roles can earn up to £35,000.
Those in higher responsibility positions including leading specialist family centers
or charities can expect to earn up to £50,000.
You’d be hard pressed to
find an individual ‘in it for the money’, but compared to many other roles in
the care sector, it is definitely a career that can be built up and progressed
upon. There are numerous opportunities and types of family support worker, so
advancement is often an option.
WHAT
ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING AS A FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER?
Family support workers
work hard and often face unpredictable hours, situations and outcomes, with
difficult themes and uncomfortable topics needing to be addressed. Yet working
in this role is hugely rewarding, and the progress of their service users is
tangible and visible. There can be few things that feel better than knowing
you’ve helped nurture a family to a better place.
Support workers in this
role will pick up various transferable skills throughout their working lives.
Their personal as well as professional development can be vast and in turn
nurture compassion, understanding and kindness.
WHAT
ARE THE NEGATIVES OF WORKING IN THIS ROLE?
As with all roles in
social care, sadly those in family support worker jobs
are often undervalued. They are, indeed, key workers, but as with all of those working
in this sector, frequently face difficult situations and circumstances that
simply aren’t covered by emergency services or any other authority body. They
must act quickly in emergency situations, be quick thinkers and natural
mediators; able to adapt to work best with whoever and whatever they’re faced
with.
HOW DO
I FIND FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER JOBS NEAR ME?
There are many online
job boards such as Reed.co.uk which
advertise various support worker jobs. You could approach your local
authorities and care employers and ask for the qualification levels required
for each tier of family support workers
(or other such job title in the same field) in your local area. Specialist
recruitment agencies can also advise. It is often that the case that some level
of qualification and/or care experience will be required to start, but as an
in-demand profession, most authorities and employers will have identified a
qualification or training path to help you reach your goals and get there.
For access to support
worker jobs across London, with no agency required, register with the latest social
care app – OUTT and work directly with employers! Registering with OUTT provides experienced
social care candidates the opportunity to build an employer review base and
take full control of where and when they work. It’s
your life, live it! Register with us
now!
Read more:- https://outt.co.uk/social-care-news/family-support-worker-job/
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