Family Practitioner

Family PractitionerLocation: Lewisham CouncilSection: Prevention & Early HelpRates Of Pay: £27 Umbrella

Join Our Team as a Family Practitioner

Lewisham Council is embarking upon an ambitious programme of transformation through the Pathfinder initiative. We seek dedicated, proactive, and skilled Family Practitioners to join our Prevention and Early Help Team. This is a pivotal role, offering an opportunity to work directly with children, young people, and families to achieve improved outcomes, address complex challenges, and empower families to sustain positive change.

As a Family Practitioner, you will forge trusting relationships with families, their extended networks, and communities, thereby tackling social isolation, strengthening resilience, and fostering sustainable improvements. Working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary partners, you will contribute to the prevention of statutory interventions and the reduction of family breakdown risks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver intensive, family-focused support to vulnerable children, young people, and their families.

• Conduct holistic assessments and develop tailored action plans addressing a range of challenges including parenting difficulties, mental health concerns, domestic abuse, and educational needs.

• Champion the voices of children, young people, and families in the assessment and planning process, promoting empowerment and meaningful participation.

• Employ evidence-based, restorative, trauma-informed, and systemic intervention approaches.

• Maintain exemplary standards of case recording and reporting, ensuring full compliance with GDPR and service policies.

• Establish strong working relationships with local services and agencies to deliver integrated support solutions.

• Work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends, to meet the diverse needs of families.

Requirements:

• A minimum of two years' experience working as a Family Practitioner or Family Support Worker, supporting families experiencing multiple and complex challenges such as mental health issues, domestic abuse, or housing instability.

• Demonstrable knowledge of evidence-based intervention strategies and a proven ability to implement them effectively.

• Strong mediation, conflict resolution, and crisis intervention skills.

• Experience of completing Early Help Assessments and leading Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings.

• A sound understanding of restorative and trauma-informed practice principles.

• A commitment to continuous professional development and to staying abreast of evolving policies, research, and best practice.