Social Work Assistant

Family Support Worker/Social Work Assistant (Direct Payments – Children with Disabilities Team)

Location: Weston-super-Mare
North Somerset Council
Contract: Initial 5 months
Rate: £22 per hour (Umbrella)
Team: Children with Disabilities / Direct Payments Service

About the Role North Somerset Council is seeking a Family Support Worker / Social Work Assistant to join its expanding Direct Payments Service within the Children with Disabilities Team. This is a non-finance role focused on supporting families, reviewing care packages, and ensuring effective use of direct payments to meet children’s needs.

You will work alongside another Direct Payments Officer, supporting families to manage and review their direct payment arrangements, ensuring care plans remain appropriate and effective.

Key Responsibilities

• Work directly with children with disabilities and their families
• Review and monitor direct payment packages
• Support care planning and needs assessments
• Conduct occasional home visits
• Liaise with families, professionals, and internal teams
• Present cases and updates at resource panels
• Ensure accurate and person-centred recording of information
• Support the ongoing development of the Direct Payments Service

Essential Requirements

• Experience working with children with disabilities or within SEND services
• Understanding of care planning, assessments, and review processes
• Experience or knowledge of direct payments or personal budgets (desirable)
• Ability to work with families in a supportive and professional manner
• Strong communication and organisational skills

Desirable

• Familiarity with LCS (Liquidlogic Children’s System)
• Previous experience in a local authority children’s services setting
• Experience attending or contributing to multi-agency panels

Full training will be provided where needed.
Important Note This is not a finance role. The focus is on safeguarding, support planning, and ensuring effective delivery of care packages through direct payments.