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 carers 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 centre 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 centres 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.

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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 OUTTprovides 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!