Family Practitioner x5
37 hours per week
Agile / home working
Do you have experience working with children and families? An exciting opportunity has become available to join Children’s Services as a Family Practitioner within the Support & Protection Teams, where you'll play a vital role in helping to improve outcomes for families.
If you are passionate about making a difference to local families and children and want to be part of a culture that values learning and continuous professional development, please get in touch to find out more.
To undertake the key responsibilities of a Family Practitioner in one of the Support & Protection teams:
Under supervision, you will be the lead practitioner for families who are considered by the team manager as eligible to receive statutory services under S17 of the Children Act 1989. This will involve direct work with children, supporting families with interventions, working with partner agencies and being involved in regular meetings and creating plans.
The role will also include supporting Social Workers in the provision of services identified through assessment. You will undertake initial assessments of need jointly with a Social Worker in specific situations and provide support: all within our strengths-based framework aimed at keeping children safe at home.
On the Isle of Wight our new Children’s Service leadership team understand that our Social Workers, Managers and our staff require the right environment to succeed in this challenging, rewarding and important field.
Our vision is ‘creating change together’, using language that cares which drives our values and behaviours to create change - in partnership with our children and families, our dedicated Children’s Service staff, our partners, and community services, to improve the lives of children on the Isle of Wight.
We value and respect the work you do and ensure our social work teams are given the right tools, conditions, support and guidance needed to make real change happen.
About the Isle of Wight:
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between two and five miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent, 11 minutes by Hovercraft. The Island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and landscapes of fields, down land, and chines. The Island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and over half is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.
However, hidden behind all this beauty, many families really struggle, and we have areas of socioeconomic deprivation and child poverty. Parts have a low paid rural economy reliant on tourism and agriculture, now further affected by the covid pandemic. However, we also have dynamic international high-tech companies, national and local investment, and world class sporting events; making the Isle of Wight a great place to live and work.
On the Isle of Wight, the overall average house price means you get more for your money compared to many other places in the South East. You have 32 days annual leave a year to enjoy all what the Isle of Wight has to offer. In a recent poll with Social Workers across the South East, work life balance was their top priority when deciding on a job. We will invest in you and your career by providing you with five extra days for you to take to focus on your professional development with our support. We operate a nine-day fortnight which means you get an additional 26 days’ time off in lieu a year.
About our team:
Our Council has invested further in Children’s Social Care. We have created our own MASH and have 4 strong Children’s Support and Protection Teams, to improve outcomes for children and families.
Our Targeted Family Support Team is a dedicated resource with adult mental health professional, adult substance misuse professionals and a team of trained volunteers. Our Family Hub offer is nationally recognised as a trailblazer providing access to a range of targeted early intervention and early help support services including parenting and domestic abuse interventions.
We have a really positive, supportive culture and working environment. Even our agency workers don’t want to leave and if they do, they ask to come back or choose to go permanent as they have said the Isle of Wight is the best children’s social care service, they have worked in. We work to Isle of Wight model which is a strengths-based, multi-disciplinary approach focussed on building resilience in individuals, families, and communities, whilst managing risk and safeguarding children.
After our successful partnership with Hampshire County Council concluded last year, we now have our own new Director of Children’s Services and two Service Directors for Children’s Social Care and Education and Inclusion.
We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your interest in coming to work with us as part of the team.
Interview date planned: 3rd November 2025
You will be contacted for an interview if you are successful with your application.
For further information or an informal discussion please contact our Service Manager for Operations Lauren Wicks on lauren.wicks@iow.gov.uk or by calling on 01983 821000.Join #TeamIWC and you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:
- Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
- Local Government pension scheme
- Discounted Solent ferry travel
- Island bus network discount
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff parking permit scheme
- Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
- National and local discounts & benefits schemes
- Relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available for some roles (subject to criteria)
- Travel allowance may be available if commuting from the mainland (subject to criteria)
Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island.
The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.
We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees. We are an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community.
We are a Disability Confident employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.
The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by;
our values, culture and inclusivity
The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via adverts@iow.gov.uk if you would like to receive a copy.
The Isle of Wight Council reserve the right to close vacancies earlier than stated, if required. To ensure your application is considered, it is recommended to submit your application promptly.
This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
For support completing your online application or for further information on how to apply, phone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk Only applications submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.
We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. Please revisit our job page for alternate posts that may be suitable.