Hub Support Assistant

About Us

West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents' every day. Through our Early Help Service, we will work with children, families, and young people to help ensure that every person is supported to achieve his or her potential. The foundations for mental health, emotional control, doing well in education and parenting ability are all set in place in the early years; the home surroundings, family life and parenting are all important factors in determining positive outcomes for children as they grow and develop.

For more information, please visit our WSCC Health and Social Care section of our website.

The Opportunity

Salary: £24,790 to £25,183, pro rata £12,395 to £12,591 per annum Working Pattern: Part time (18.50 hours per week) Contract Length: Permanent Location: based predominantly in Haywards Heath area but covers the Mid-Sussex area

Interview Date: 21st January 2025

You must be able to travel throughout the District including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

West Sussex County Council is looking for a Hub Support Assistant to join our Early Help Service.

As a Hub Support Assistant, you'll play a key role in ensuring our full-time family hubs are safe, welcoming, and accessible for families, children, and young people. You'll work as part of a dedicated team within both our family hubs and local communities, providing information, advice, and guidance around a range of issues to families, children and young people aged 0-25. A key aspect of the role will be providing practical support to families experiencing crisis, including organising food parcels.

Helping to provide a safe and welcoming space for young people through the Find It Out (FIO) offer is essential. You'll be able to speak confidently with young people, understand their needs and be able to help them access appropriate support, at a time that suits them, including after school hours.

Having a good understanding of what services are available in the local community for families, children and young people and being confident to signpost to these will be key. You will assist in maintaining effective partnerships with a range of organisations and outside bodies.

Experience and Skills

Key Skills:

1. Good communication, customer service and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with the general public and act as a point of information / advice / guidance where appropriate.
2. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to confidently work with children, young people and families e.g. dealing with complex queries and family issues, responding appropriately to challenging behaviour such as aggressive or distressed individuals.
3. Ability to work as part of a team completing shared tasks in order to deliver a service to others.
4. Ability to meet set deadlines and to understand when problems need to be referred upwards, e.g. in responding to complaints promptly for a quick accurate solution.
5. Analytical and judgement skills in order to effectively assist with customer queries.
6. Proficient IT skills, using Microsoft Office Suite, in order to be able to use the Service computerised databases, photocopiers, scanners and the internet.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• GCSEs with A-C (9-4) passes including Maths and English, or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating that level of numeracy and literacy.
• An IT qualification or equivalent experience demonstrating good working knowledge of IT systems / procedures.
• Level 3 Information, Advice and Guidance qualification - Desirable
• Experience of dealing with the public and providing excellent customer service, including providing specialist information, advice, and guidance.
• Experience of team working.
• Experience in the delivery of child or family support services in the statutory or non-statutory sector - Desirable
• Valid and full driving licence and access to a vehicle / ability to travel around the county independently - Desirable

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE04962.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Heidi Wyatt at [email protected] or for issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected]

To apply, please upload your CV and cover letter explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role, referring to the key skills listed in the advert and job description. Please ensure any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.

Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!