Staff stories

What does a day in your role look like?

My role as a family support worker varies from day to day. At present I am responsible for delivering stay and play sessions in the local community. This involves planning ideas and themes and selecting suitable resources to set up inviting activities and play areas for families to enjoy and explore. Each session ends with a song time and bubbles. Information about the service is shared in conversation with families and if needed I sign post and assist to receive additional support.

Another aspect of my role is helping to run forest school. This is offered to families through referral who may benefit from spending time together outside in nature. I visit the families in their homes and work with them to make a plan of support. We plan lots of activities and experiences that are centered around the children's interests. This is with a goal to help build:

• Confidence
• Resilience
• Communication
• Personal, emotional, and social skills

Within my week I also deliver a communication cafe group for families to share key messages with parents about how they can best support their child's emerging understanding of language. This is delivered 1:1 in the home or in a small group with another colleague at one of our bases or out in the community.

Around these groups I plan my own diary. I may need to book meetings and communicate with other professionals completing all admin processes.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy all aspects of my role but especially have a passion for setting up inviting and aesthetically pleasing play environments. I like the freedom I am given to plan and deliver the groups. It is really rewarding to observe families exploring activities together and great to get positive feedback from them when they share they have tried some new ideas at home. We have a lot of families that return to the groups regularly. It is evident the groups have a positive impact on the children's development when they participate with songs, actions and games.

There is a strong feeling of community at the sessions and it is great to see new friendships being built.

I enjoy the variety of responsibilities and feel supported within an amazing team of experienced professionals. 

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive?

I began my role as a family support worker after working in early years for over 20 years.

As a qualified early years teacher I wanted to move away from a role working directly with children in educational settings and use my experience to share knowledge and support for the whole family within the community and home.

Since starting the role, I have been able to widen my knowledge with training on the solihull approach, parent-child play and learning sessions, educational talks and perinatal training. There is also extensive online training opportunities available. 

What would you say to someone looking to join the service?

I would recommend the role of family support worker if you enjoy working with young children and families and value the importance of early intervention and support. I have enjoyed the challenge of taking a different pathway with my knowledge and experience.

The role provides varied opportunities for further training, progression and new challenges.