FAMILY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER - INVERCLYDE

Accountable to: Senior Family Support Development Officer

Location: Inverclyde

Contract: Full time: 35 Hours/week (1.0 FTE) – Fixed term till 31 March 2027 (potential extension subject to funding)

Objective: This post will develop, deliver, support and promote a range of family support and engagement for family members who are affected by someone else’s substance use. The post is responsible for leading Scottish Families’ Inverclyde Family Support Service, supported by a Family Support Worker (1.0 FTE), and working in partnership with partner organisations, families and communities. This is a fixed term post funded till 31 March 2027, with a potential extension subject to funding.

Salary: £34,404 plus 4% pension contribution

Conditions:

The post is located in Inverclyde (main base: Greenock) and has an area-wide remit involving significant travel throughout the area and some to our offices in Glasgow. It is expected that the post holder will be required to work some evenings and occasional weekends. Due to the nature of this post, access to a car is essential. This post will be part of Scottish Families’ staff team and be supervised by the Senior Family Support Development Officer. This is a fixed term post funded till 31 March 2027. (Potential extension subject to funding). The post has responsibility for leading Scottish Families’ Inverclyde Family Support Service, supported by a Family Support Worker, working in partnership with partner organisations, families and communities. This Service was established in November 2020, and is funded by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership.

Role:

To lead the development, delivery, support and promotion of a range of family support and engagement for family members who are affected by someone else’s substance use. This role operates across Inverclyde with the support of the Family Support Worker, and in partnership with partner organisations, families and communities. Direct support from Scottish Families will focus on supporting adult family members aged 16+ years. The role includes utilising and promoting evidencebased interventions, and evaluating and demonstrating the impact of these and of this new Family Support Service.

In establishing this Family Support Service in 2020, Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership and Inverclyde Alcohol and Drug Partnership wished to develop alternative family support approach which offers choice, consistency and flexibility for adult family members in their own right – whether or not their loved one is engaged with treatment services. The service helps deliver the family commitments in ‘Rights, Respect and Recovery’, the national alcohol and drug strategy. This includes the right to health and a life free from the harms of alcohol and drugs, and specific commitments that families receive support in their own right and are involved in their loved one’s treatment and care.

Responsibilities:

To lead the development, delivery and promotion of Inverclyde Family Support Service, offering a range of family support and engagement for family members across Inverclyde who are affected by someone else’s substance use.

To ensure the Family Support Service offers, choice, consistency and flexibility for adult family members (aged 16+ years) in their own right.

To act as a first point of contact for referrals (including self-referrals from family members), queries, advice and expertise for families themselves, other family support services, treatment and care services, the recovery community and partner agencies.

To deliver initial assessments, one to one intensive support, and a range of group support, and refer on for other support as required. This includes face to face, telephone and online support.

• To work alongside family members to build their skills, capacity, confidence, well-being and connections.

To offer advocacy and self-advocacy support, to ensure families can access their rights as outlined in the Carers (Scotland) Act and ‘Rights, Respect, Recovery’ strategy.

To reach across wider family and community networks to identify and support opportunities to grow and develop family support and engagement across Inverclyde’s communities, including through community-based assertive outreach.

To use and promote evidence-based interventions, and to evaluate and demonstrate the impact of these and of this new collaborative family support and engagement model.

To ensure integration with the wider peer support and recovery community and Inverclyde’s Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC).

To provide workforce development support to facilitate the strengthening of family inclusive practice and family inclusive recovery across all of Inverclyde’s Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC).

• To comply with Scottish Families procedures for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

• To encourage local involvement at a regional and national level.

To identify local examples of best practice in family support and engagement to impact national service delivery.

• To actively promote family recovery and family inclusive practice.

• To maintain and enhance existing peer networks and build new relationships.

• To participate in local forums to ensure the views of families are represented.

To act as liaison with stakeholders and decision makers at a local and regional level with support of the Senior Family Support Development Officer and Scottish Families Senior Management Team.

• To represent Scottish Families at external events where appropriate.

To identify and utilise opportunities to enhance Scottish Families profile and the family support agenda.

• To develop and maintain appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the post.

• To contribute to fundraising and funding reporting as required.

Operate within an Equal Opportunities Framework and promote equality issues in all aspects of work.

Any additional duties will normally be to cover unforeseen circumstances or changes in work, and will usually be compatible with the regular type of work. If an additional task or responsibility becomes a regular or frequent part of the job, it will be included in the job description in consultation with the post holder.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

POST: FAMILY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

AREA	ESSENTIAL		DESIRABLE
Qualifications	Degree in a relevant subject or ● equivalent professional qualification	●	Counselling qualification CRAFT (Community Reinforcement & Family Training) or equivalent
Experience	Group work others	Direct client work Facilitating or enabling the work of Direct work with families Identifying and managing risk	Working with or as a volunteer Using and delivering web-based support services
Knowledge		Working in partnership Issues for families affected by substance use Values underpinning advocacy	Awareness of substance use trends and issues
Skills	groups main office	Ability to encourage and promote the development of family support Ability to effectively and sensitively advocate for others Ability to work at a distance from Strong organisational skills. Effective interpersonal and communication skills	Presentation skills. Using social media to reach target groups Delivering training
		Empathetic approach Commitment to cooperative team working and equal opportunities Available to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekend Willing to undertake training and on-going learning	development to the public and media.