Family support worker
Family support workers offer tailored help to families and carers, and give advice on how to promote their children's learning and development.
Also known as: Family link worker
- Starter salary£24,000 a year
- Experienced£36,000 a year
- Typical hours21 to 37 a week
What you'll do
As a family support worker, you could:
- speak to families to understand what type of support they need
- create plans to help families deal positively with the challenges they face
- introduce play and learning activities for parents and children
- give tailored support to children with complex social and emotional needs
- help children to develop language and communication skills
- help families to develop their parenting skills
- work with nurseries, schools and other partner agencies
- follow safeguarding procedures at all times
- help families get access to other support services
- support clients in family panel and court hearings
Working environment
You could work at a client's home, at a school, in an office or in a court.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- excellent verbal communication skills
- a desire to help people
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a family support worker
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- volunteering
- applying directly
College
You could do a college course to learn some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.
Courses include:
- health and social care
- children and young people's workforce
- children's learning and development
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship with an organisation that works with families, such as:
- Health and Social Care Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
- Peer Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Children, Young People and Families Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
- Early Intervention Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
Volunteering
You'll normally need some experience to apply for training or jobs as a family support worker.
You can get this by volunteering or finding paid work with:
- children's homes or youth projects
- nurseries
- family refuge centres
- probation services
- family community centres
- mental health services
You can find volunteering opportunities listed on Do It and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) .
Direct application
You can apply directly for family support worker jobs if you have experience of working with children, young people or families.
You'll also usually need a minimum of a level 3 qualification in:
- childcare or child development
- social work or social care
- counselling
- youth work
- education
Foundation apprenticeship
You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.
If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- are in care or have been in care
- are in prison or have been in prison
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
For many roles you'll need a driving licence.
Career path and progression
With experience and training, you could specialise in working with:
- family members addicted to alcohol or drugs
- parents who are in hospital or prison
- people who have relationship or money problems
You could also:
- lead a team of family support workers
- manage a family centre or refuge
- move into social work
Career tips
The ability to speak a second language used by groups in the community may be useful for some jobs.
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0