Dudley Lodge
29,863 - 33,144 per year
Coventry, West Midlands
Full-time
Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk

Job Description & Personal Specification

Job Title:

Senior Family Assessment Worker

Grade:

£29,863 - £33,144 (Scale point 21-28)

Hours:

37.5 hours

Is the post exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act?

Does the post require a DBS check?

Yes

Yes

Our Commitment Statement

Our expectation of all staff is to demonstrate kindness, empathy, and fairness to all.

Dudley Lodge strive to provide an inclusive working environment and experience, where employees can bring
their best, and authentic self to work. Where difference is recognised, respected, valued, and celebrated.

Our  approach  to  inclusion  and  diversity  is  rooted  in  listening,  learning  and  acting.  This  includes  conducting
ongoing  listening  forums  across  the  company,  the  implementation  of  Inclusion  &  Diversity  talking/support
groups, workshops and training, good quality supervision, surveys and collaborative working parties. All with
the core aim to receive honest feedback, reflect and continuously strive to be the best that we can be.

Introduction

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•

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To work with families on a day-to-day basis, observing and recording the parents’ abilities to meet
the immediate safety and care needs of their children. This will be completed through daily
observations.
To ensure parents/carers prioritise the safety and welfare needs of their children
To create a supportive learning/re-learning environment for parents and children

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207

Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

•

•

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk
To provide childcare for children whilst their parents/carers attend Groups and Individual Sessions
Following training, to take lead responsibility for the playroom groups that will take place, these
will include but are not inclusive to Baby Massage, Baby Sensory, Messy Play, Musical Babies and
HUB sesisons.

Benefits of working at Dudley Lodge:

•  Shift patterns that make your commute calmer and quicker.
•  Training Opportunities
•  Staff wellbeing events throughout the year
•  Team building days
•  Employee Assistance Programme – this is a scheme run by Dudley Lodge for its employees.  It enables

staff to gain access to qualified advisors for a wide range of services day or night.

•  Health Shield - After 1 year’s continuous employment, you can opt for free cover under this Cash Plan

policy.

•  Auto-enrolment to a pension scheme with Standard Life if earning £833 or more per month, Dudley
Lodge contributes 5% towards your pension, also matching additional employee contributions up to
7.5%. The company will increase its contribution to 10% after an employee has reached their 10 years’
service, on condition employees contribute the same.

•

Life Assurance - Group Life Assurance Policy with Canada Life. The scheme provides a tax-free benefit

to all permanent employees, paying a lump sum amount of 2 x salary in the event of death in service.

•  Free tea, coffee, water and fruit for all staff
•  Continuous training and professional development opportunities
•  Enhanced holidays:

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22 days plus 8 bank holidays – up to 5 years continuous employment

27 days plus 8 bank holidays – up to 10 years continuous employment

32 days plus 8 bank holidays – over 10 years continuous employment

•  Flu Vaccine: For Staff that do not qualify for the flu vaccine through the NHS
•  Bike (Cycle) Scheme: Staff can purchase a bike (max, £1000 or 50% of monthly contractual salary). The

employee cycle loan request form should be completed for validation.

•

Long Service Awards: We value our staff and to show recognition we offer long service award

Dudley Lodge is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable
adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons.
All posts are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013
& 2020) provide that certain convictions and cautions are 'protected' and so are not subject to disclosure and should
not be taken into account. Further information about this can be found on the DBS website or at Nacro.
This post is subject to medical clearance and an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207

Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk

Job Description:

Personal Skills & Characteristics

Communication skills verbally and ability to express in written form.

•
•  Good IT keyboard skills
Patient and calm personality.
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•  Able to defuse volatile situations.
•  Able to empathise with vulnerable children and their families.
•
•  Able to work as member of a staff team.
•  Working with adults or parents.
•

Building professional relationships with service users.

Listening skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

1.  To ensure the safety and welfare of children remains central to the assessment/intervention process.

2.  To take an active part in the assessment process regarding children and families - to observe, supervise, record and

assess family interaction, child behaviour, parental motivation and parental ability to meet the needs of the

child(ren).

3.  To provide a service that values and respects the strengths, experiences and background of the families.

4.  To take an active part within team meetings in reviewing and developing the practices and provision within, and

resources available to, the centre.

5.  To use common sense and sensitivity in challenging and teaching parenting practices.

6.  To provide structured feedback to parents during and at the end of each shift.

7.  To plan and prioritise workload effectively within established timeframes and ensure that all written recordings meet

required deadlines.

8.  To assist with childcare duties as required.

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207

Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk

9.  To liaise with managers, and source other agencies/resources as appropriate.

10.  To work as part of a team to provide a culturally sensitive service for children and their families.

11. To promote and maintain equal opportunities and anti-oppressive practice within the work environment.

12. To observe and implement Child Protection Procedures and the Centre’s policies and procedures.

13.  To participate fully in training and supervision, identifying training courses relevant to role and personal

development.

14. To be aware of health and safety responsibilities at work.

15. If you have observed a specific incident, to provide evidence in court, if required.

16. To undertake other duties as identified by the Service and Registered Manager, Team Case Managers or

Office Manager.

17. On call duties, during the weekday and weekend as required by the Centre needs.

Senior Family Worker addional duties:

➢  Take lead responsibilities for a variety of groups on a day-to-day basis. These groups will include, but not inclusive
of the Freedom Programme, Self-Development Group, Protection Group, Well-Being Group, Parenting Skills, Life
Skills and Relationship Group.

➢  The Senior Family Assessment Worker will be responsible for ensuring the groups are maintained and kept up-to-

date, taking in account relevant research and legislation.

➢  Have  link  worker  responabilitites.  The  Senior  Family  Assessment  Worker  will  complete  at  least  one  weekly  in-
depth  individual  session  with  each  of  their  allocated  families,  attend  their  target  setting  sessions  and  attend
Review  Meetings,  Child  in  Care  Reviews  etc.,  when  and  where  appropriate.  They  will  be  required  to  provide
feedback to other professionals.

➢  Complete assessments in respect of parents/carers abilities to implement change and the likeliness that this will

be sustained, ensuring that the child/ren remains paramount of these assessments.

➢  Complete  clear  and  thorough  recordings  for  all  group  and  individual  work  completed  with  families.  These
recordings should reflect the individual needs of the family and provide analysis of the work that is completed.

➢  Oversight of the rota and Centre planners.

➢  Support Team Case managers with oversight of case in their absence.

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207

Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk

➢  To manage a staff team (numbers to be agreed dependent upon experience), effectively and efficiently. This will

include: -

Developing and managing a Performance Management process for the staff team,
To provide ‘on-call’ advice, guidance and support for staff members, on a rota basis in conjunction management.
To provide training/mentoring/supervision to develop and sustain standards of performance and service,
To work on own initiative and judgment whilst actively engaging as a team member with co-workers,

Title of post to which this job normally reports:

Team/Case Manager

Special Conditions:

Special Conditions

Post holder is required to work shifts, including weekends and Bank Holidays and to ‘sleep in’ (if required), at
the Centre

All staff are expected to work in a flexible way to cope with the needs, demands and requirements of the
Centre

Dudley Lodge operates a non-smoking environment for staff members.

The Dudley Lodge Centre is based across three floors and the Bonner House Centre is based across 2 floors
staff will be required to access the floors via stairs.

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207

Centre Addresses:
Dudley Lodge Family Assessment Centre
143 Warwick Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 6AT
Bonner House Family Assessment Centre
172 Sellywood Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 1TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 50 28 00

Website: www.dudleylodge.co.uk
Email: safeguarding@dudleylodge.co.uk

Assessments and observations will take place throughout the centre and if the case of a fire alarm staff may
need to assist babies and families down the stairs to safety/fire assembly point.

Use of personal phones/cameras are restricted to certain areas of the building

Observance of the Centre’s Equal Opportunities Policy will be required, and to work at all times in accordance
with all the Centre’s policies and procedures

Failure by a member of staff to report actual or suspected physical or sexual abuse of a child by another
member of staff or other person having contact with the child may constitute a disciplinary offence.

Company No. 3729909
Registered Charity No. 1078207