Family Support Manager

Overview:

We recognise the value and complexity of family and understand the potential positive and negative impact of relationships.

We believe how a family is defined is up to the individuals within that system and that we all hold our own unique version of what family looks like.

Our family work aims to strengthen relationships and interpersonal connections, so every person feels safe, supported and valued by the people they surround themselves with.

This is a remote role with travel to various prisons in the London and Surrey area, as well as within the community to support your direct reports. A driving licence and your own car would be beneficial.

What you will be doing?:

Strategy

The Family Support Manager will:

• Be an Ambassador for Forward Trust’s work in the area for which you are responsible, positively representing Forward Trust at internal and external events as required.
• Contribute to departmental strategy development and delivery.
• Consistently advocate a whole family approach to treatment, recovery and rehabilitation in all areas of their work.
• Support the development of business plans and departmental policies, procedures and processes as required.

Line Management

The Family Support Manager is responsible for:

• The recruitment and induction of all new staff who sit within their team.
• The direct line and performance management of assigned Family Support Practitioners and other staff delivering family work across the organisation.
• Carrying out regular 1:1 supervision, quarterly line management supervision, appraisals and team meetings with staff.
• Effectively managing staff sickness and other absences.
• Ensuring staff develop their skills and knowledge within their role through effective supervision, attendance at training and other workforce development opportunities.
• Creating and maintaining a positive working environment.
• Addressing any poor performance and managing team dynamics in a robust and responsive way.
• Managing the working patterns of staff members, rota arrangements and safe staff to client ratios.
• Ensuring remote work, including working from home arrangements and peripatetic work carried out in prison, community and residential settings, is done so safely and in accordance with the organisation’s policies and procedures.
• Liaising with HR as needed to carry out line management resposibilities effectively and in line with organisational policy and procedures.

Service Delivery

The Family Support Manager will:

• Provide effective support and line management to their staff team to enable them to deliver high quality, trauma informed 1:1 work and structured group interventions to clients and family members/affected others.
• Effectively liaise with internal stakeholders, including service managers, team leaders and other practitioners to provide a cohesive, coordinated and effective service to clients/family members/affected others.
• Actively seek feedback from those receiving family support services and use this feedback to continuously improve service provision.
• Effectively and proactively liaise with external stakeholders, including commissioners, in order to continuously improve and develop our family support offering in line with departmental and organisational workplans and strategies.
• Ensure contractual compliance where appropriate.
• Ensure excellent collaboration and communication through multi-agency working to provide a high-quality service to all clients.
• Ensure financial compliance and support effective departmental and service budget management, adhering to the organisation’s financial policies and procedures at all times.

Outcome Monitoring and Data Collection

The Family Support Manager is responsible for evidencing the effectiveness of our family work through ensuring:

• The timely and accurate completion of case management systems.
• Staff completion of all client documentation including; risk and needs assessments, support plans and outcome trackers.
• Staff and client completion of all outcome measures associated with group interventions and programmes.
• Information, including statistical data, for audit, research and reporting purposes, is effectively and efficiently collected, recorded and collated in the assigned area.
• Regular case study collection.
• The submission of monthly and quarterly reports as required and on time.
• The sharing of accurate qualitative and quantitative data for fundraising, business development and other activities as required.

Quality, health and safety

The Family Support Manager will maintain the highest standards of quality, health and safety through:

• Attending and actively participating in operational, departmental and organisational meetings as required.
• Attending and actively participating in external stakeholder meetings as required.
• Contributing to the improvement of existing quality frameworks and the development of new quality frameworks as required.
• Carrying out regular audits to ensure services are delivered to a high standard.
• Recognising and celebrating areas of success and good practice.
• Reporting areas of concerns or risk in a timely manner.
• Presenting solutions to concerns and challenges as soon as they are known and proactively work to addressing these in a robust and timely manner.
• Abiding by all The Forward Trust’s policies and procedures and encourage others to do the same.
• Working with the highest regard to health, safety and security in the workplace highlighting any risks (potential or actual) to your line manager and (where appropriate) the Head of Governance, in accordance with The Forward Trust’s risk management protocols.
• Effectively managing information, particularly confidential information, within statutory duties and data protection, and in accordance with internal Governance policies and best practice.
• Ensuring departmental compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, and ethical responsibilities.
• Keeping up to date technically on all relevant matters, including policy changes, and strive for continuous professional development.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding adults, children and young people is everyone’s responsibility. The Family Support Manager will:

• Follow the 5 Rs of safeguarding: recognise, respond, report, record and refer.
• Support staff to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns in a timely and robust manner.
• Liaise closely with the organisation’s Safeguarding Manager to keep people safe from harm.
• Learn lessons and reflect on practice to continuously improve service delivery.

Administration

The Family Support Manager will:

• Use organisational case management, HR and other systems in accordance with policies and procedures and organisational expectations.
• Support other staff to use those systems effectively.
• Maintain accurate records at all times.

Other

The Family Support Manager will:

• Take on any other reasonable tasks and responsibilities as required by the organisation.
• Take active steps to engage in personal continuous professional development activities.
• Travel to different sites as required to effectively carry out their role.

What we are looking for?:

Essential

• Experience of managing and developing a team of staff.
• Experience of managing key HR processes including recruitment, induction, probation periods and performance management.
• Experience of working across multiple, geographically dispersed services.
• Experience of managing geographically dispersed staff teams.
• Experience of working in line with contractual requirements and commissioner expectations.
• Experience of working in accordance with quality frameworks.
• Experience of working independently.
• Experience of delivering family related interventions and programmes to clients and family members affected by addiction.
• Experience of working in an addiction setting for at least 5 years.
• Experience of coordinating multiple projects and tasks.
• Experience of data collection and outcome monitoring.
• Experience of managing complex safeguarding issues.
• Experience of managing health and safety in the workplace.
• Experience of budget management.
• Experience of report writing.

• Understanding of the impact addiction has on the whole family system.
• Understanding of different treatment models for addiction and offending.
• Understanding of different model of recovery for addiction and offending.
• Excellent IT skills including the use of all MS Office software, databases and online learning platforms e.g. Moodle.
• Understanding of the importance of data collection and outcome monitoring.
• High level of attention to detail.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• A positive problem-solving approach with the ability to focus on key issues quickly and clearly.
• Ability to manage own workload effectively to meet deadlines and targets.
• Flexible attitude and openness to changing priorities.

• Counselling or related qualification (Level 4 or above)
• Management qualification level 3 or above (or willing to work towards this)

Desirable

• Experience of working within a range of different settings e.g. prison, community and residential.
• Experience of working remotely.
• Experience of setting and managing budgets.

• Family Therapy or related qualification.
• Undergraduate degree (Level 6) in a relevant subject area e.g. counselling, psychotherapy, psychology.

What we offer:

• Training opportunities and career development
• Flexible working
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Person specification:

Family Support Manager JD v3