- Location: Dorset, Hampshire and parts of Wiltshire and Isle of Wight
- Closing date: 21 July 2026
- Interview dates: Interview dates to be confirmed
- Salary: £24,000 pa + Company Car (with an approx. retail value of £23,000‑26,000, taxable benefit in kind of £6‑£8K) and other excellent benefits
About the role
We are looking to appoint a Family Support Worker on a full-time basis (35 hours, 5 days per week) to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our Southampton Care Team to families in the local area, at a time when they need it most.
Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the Southampton Care Team and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social and practical support to families where a child or young person has a life threatening or terminal illness. You will enjoy responsibility for managing your own schedule, remaining flexible to the needs of the families on your caseload.
Having worked in a demanding and emotional environment you have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and helping people; and having provided bereavement support to families, you understand processes of grief, loss and change – and how best to help others deal with its impact.
Qualifications
- An experienced child health, education or social care professional – applications will be particularly welcome from those who have worked in a community environment and those with a recognised qualification in education, health or social care.
- A warm, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly.
- Practical in child protection, information sharing and data protection rules – you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines.
- Practical and people-oriented – you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident user of IT (including MSOffice).
- A persuasive and open communicator – you will work collaboratively with your team and volunteers to ensure delivery of a high-quality service and support fundraising colleagues by writing case studies and family updates.
- A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people and their families – being responsive to others’ needs and concerns is essential.
What we offer
- Control over your own schedule, based on the needs of families on your caseload, to balance home and working life.
- Company car for front line care posts (car P11D value of £23,000‑26,000, taxable benefit in kind of £6‑£8k).
- Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%.
- 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 days to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time).
- The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping.
- Time off in Lieu.
- Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross‑organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year.
- Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand.
- Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts.
- Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes.
- A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme.
- Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth.
Training & Development
Our Family Support Teams are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, introduction to play.
The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs.
About us
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life‑threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.
Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.
Full current driver’s licence and enhanced DBS disclosure are required for this post. Flexible working is required.
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