Family Group Conferencing Co-ordinator – Leeds City Council

Job Title: Family Group Conference Coordinator – Early Help
Job Reference: REQ000824
Salary/Rate: £38,626 – £41,511
Contract Type: Fixed term until 31st March 2026 (37 hours)
Closing date: 26th March 2025 at 11:59 pm

Please note, if you have applied for this post within the last 6 months you are unable to apply for this role at this time.

As a Family Group Conference Coordinator in Early Help you’ll thrive on supporting families, early in the life of the problem. You will be involved in the establishment of a new Family Group Conferencing Team that will take a community-based approach.

It is our ambition to grow our Family Group Conferencing Service so more families can benefit from Family Led Decision making strategies, including FGC at an earlier stage. This approach is aligned with our commitment to Early Help, our Early Help Strategy and the Leeds Practice Model which incorporates family led decision making as a key element of practice in Leeds. You will work closely with our newly developed Family Hubs, our existing Family Group Conferencing service and the wider partnership to deliver this new model of support and you will help families to address a wide variety of needs!

Whilst this role is currently funded until March 2026, there is a possibility of funding post this date which will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you:

As a Family Group Conference Coordinator in Early Help, you will bring to the role:

• The ability to plan, organise, coordinate and facilitate initial Family Group Conferences and reviews in a way that responds appropriately to the needs of individual families from diverse backgrounds.
• To the ability to exercise a high degree of independence, initiative and expertise in order to co-ordinate meetings which bring together families and professionals to make and agree safe plans for children and young people within their network.
• The ability to ensure that all family members are able to participate fully in the Family Group Conference process, in particular to facilitate the involvement of children and young people in FGC’s using a wide range communication techniques.
• To ensure that vulnerable adults are supported through the FGC process.
• To ensure that, in conjunction with the team manager, that safeguarding procedures are adhered to by recognising and taking action in relation to the safety of children where concerns and risks are identified and supporting families to draw up plans and implement arrangements which will ensure a child is safely cared for within their family network.

About the role

As our new Family Group Conference Coordinator in Early Help, you will be integral to the developments of this new offer to the partnership. This is an exciting time for Early Help in Leeds as we begin to deliver our multi-disciplinary approach to supporting families, early in the life of the problem. Building on what we know works, you will work closely with a Manager and a team of co-ordinators to deliver a community based approach to Family Group Conferencing and you will contribute to a partnership approach across the City. This will support early help intervention and developments around family-led decision making, whilst supporting families to avoid unnecessary referrals to statutory social work teams. These proposals are aligned with the Children and Young People’s Plan 2023- 2028 and our obsessions.

The role is integral to our Early Help Service and you will be key to our comprehensive Early Help offer to families. This is an exciting time to join Early Help Services in Leeds and be a part of the new Early Help Model of Delivery!

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out on preferred candidates.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, candidates must consider their own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. For more information visit Skilled Worker visa on the government website. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.