Family Development Practitioner – 2 Year Fixed-Term

Who We Are

Childhood Matters is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving developmental and life outcomes for children 0–18 years old. We also work directly with parents and foster carers to support and develop parenting in challenging contexts. As an organisation we strive to positively impact the wider professional network we operate within through external training, research and professional development opportunities.

We are committed to embedding an evidence-based culture of trauma-informed care and therapeutic practice and hold ourselves to high standards in all engagement with service users, colleagues and stakeholders alike. We are committed to research and evaluation and continually assess the effectiveness of our service through independent research and partnership with third level institutions. We strive to be a positive place to work, providing staff with reflective practice, regular supervision and a training budget.

With offices and services in Blackrock, Blackpool, Clonakilty and Farranree we employ 130 staff across all departments. We offer competitive salary packages as well as benefits including enhanced maternity leave; pension contribution scheme; health care plans; flexible working hours; internal and externally provided training opportunities, and competitive annual leave entitlement.

Position Details

Job Title: Family Development Practitioner (2-Year Specified Purpose)

Department: Limetree

Applications: Application Form Only – CVs will not be accepted

Opening Date: 03 November 2026

Closing Date: 20 November 2026 at 12 noon

Proposed Interview Dates: To be confirmed

Location: Blackrock

Tenure: Temporary, whole-time post; 2-year specified purpose contract

Remuneration: Aligned with the HSE Social Care Salary Scale (June 2026). Entry will be at the minimum point of the scale and will not be subject to negotiation.

Working Week: 37.5 hours

Annual Leave: 25 days

Probation: Six months

Download Application Form: Application form – FDP Blackrock – Specified Purpose

Purpose of the Role

The role of Family Development Practitioner is to provide intensive family support to those referred to the service. All referrals come from the Child Protection Social Work Team or through CCA. The eligibility criteria for referrals is where children are at risk of coming into care. The family have to be identified as being at a level 3 or 4 on the Hardikar Scale.

Limetree works with a family through home visiting, direct work with children and supervising access. The role also requires the staff member to attend Child Protection Case Conferences and Court where applicable.

Limetree visits a family 2 to 3 times per week while carrying out an assessment for a 12-week period. Following this the family are signposted to other services or Limetree carry out an intervention depending on the findings of the assessment and the needs of the family. These visits can occur outside normal working hours, depending on clients’ needs.

Limetree also supervises access on site at Childhood Matters or in the community. Staff assess the access, offering parenting support and make recommendations around duration and frequency of access dependent on the findings of their assessment.

Reporting Relationship

The Family Development Practitioner will report to the Family Support Services Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Working with Children, Young People and Families
  • Participate in the development and implementation of assessments and tailored interventions and ensure appropriate recording of same.
  • Promote the rights and responsibilities of each child/young person within the service.
  • Assist in supporting parents/guardians/families to sustain the safe care of their children in the home setting.
  • Liaise with the parent, family, general services and other agencies on behalf of the client.
  • Attend meetings in relation to the care and development of the children and their families.
  • Participate in the completion of preliminary assessments and safety planning as required under Children First. This should be done in consultation with the relevant line manager.
  • Comply with relevant Childhood Matters policies.
  • Attend Court when required.
  • Undertake direct work with children, young people, parents, guardians, foster carers, etc.
  • Facilitate and support family contact for children in care.
  • Undertake lone working.
• Administration and Accountability
  • Attend team meetings and report to the Family Support Services Manager on matters affecting service delivery.
  • Prepare written reports for the Family Support Services Manager and social work department on a regular basis regarding the progress and development of children and their families.
  • Report and record any incidents that may happen to children and their families or are caused by them.
  • Ensure child protection procedures are followed.
  • Keep abreast of current legislation and current professional childcare knowledge.
  • Implement Childhood Matters procedures and policies.
  • Undertake ongoing professional training and development.
  • Attend regular supervision with the designated supervisor.
  • Perform any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
  • Teamwork, Training and Professional Development
  • Participate in working within a team-centred, consistent approach.
  • Participate in further training and development as required.
  • Work with other professionals and external stakeholders.
  • Participate in regular team meetings, reflective practice, complex case discussions, etc., and engage in reflective and evidence-based practice.
  • Be responsible for own health and wellbeing in order to carry out the duties of the role and be committed to managing own work/life balance.
  • Keep abreast of current legislation and current professional childcare knowledge.
• Health and Safety
  • Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice, and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.

The above job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which

Applicants must, by the closing date of application, have the following:

Qualifications

• Minimum NFQ Level 7 qualification in Social Care, Family Support, Addiction Studies, Social Science or a related field; OR
• Be registered in the Social Care Workers Register maintained by CORU.
• Verification of Garda clearance.
• Validation of three references.
• A full clean driver’s licence.

Essential Experience

• Three years’ experience in child/family support, social care or social work.
• Experience in conflict resolution and mediation.
• Experience in lone working and case management.
• Experience in record keeping and report writing.
• Essential Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
• Ability to work in a people-centred and needs-led manner.
• Knowledge of child development and family dynamics.
• Understanding of relevant legislation, best practice and issues relevant to the area of children’s services and family support.
• Ability to network, develop links and engage with the statutory sector and local community.
• Excellent communication, IT and report-writing skills.
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Adaptable and flexible with regard to service development and working hours.

Desirable Criteria

• Group work with children and families.
• Experience of working therapeutically with clients.
• Experience of legal responsibilities with regard to child protection and childcare.
• Experience in home visiting.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care approaches.
• Knowledge of Signs of Safety.
• Training in parenting programmes or other training relevant to the post.

Working Arrangements

The standard working week applying to the whole-time equivalent of this post is 37.5 hours.

Limetree is an out-of-hours service which requires flexibility to meet families outside normal working hours. Visiting may be required early mornings, later evenings and some weekend hours. This fluctuates depending on the needs of the families and staff are required to have flexibility to adapt hours where required.

The annual leave associated with the whole-time equivalent of this post is 25 days.

A probationary period of six months will apply.