Family Led Meeting Facilitator

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.

Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

As part of our journey to be Anti-Racist, at Hackney we want our workforce to represent the community we serve, that’s why we encourage applications from Black and Global Majority Ethnic backgrounds.

Proud to work in Hackney – Our aspiration is for every child to grow up in a child-friendly borough and have the best start in life.

Are you skilled at working with families to create meaningful, lasting change?

We are seeking 3x experienced and passionate Family Led Decision Meeting Facilitators to join our service. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in supporting families to develop their own plans to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of their children.

You will work independently of case management, facilitating Family Led Decision Meetings in complex safeguarding situations, including where child protection concerns are present or care proceedings are being considered.

This role sits at the heart of our commitment to systemic, trauma-informed and anti-racist practice, ensuring that children, families and their wider networks are empowered to lead decision making.

About the role

You will:

• Plan, coordinate and facilitate Family Led Decision Meetings
• Engage children, parents, carers and wider family networks, including community and faith groups
• Ensure the voice of the child is central to all planning
• Work across diverse communities with cultural humility and responsiveness
• Manage complex dynamics and risk within safeguarding contexts
• Produce clear, high-quality family plans and review progress
• Support and influence Family Help Teams and other professionals to embed family-led approaches

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Has significant experience facilitating complex meetings
• Has strong safeguarding knowledge and experience
• Can confidently engage families and their networks in challenging circumstances
• Demonstrates a clear commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice
• Can work independently while maintaining strong professional boundaries
• Is highly organised, reflective, and able to manage competing demands

Additional information

• This role requires flexibility, including evening work
• Enhanced DBS required

Candidates must have a professional qualification, for example, social work, youth work, mental health practitioner, family support or equivalent, and demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development. If you are keen to deliver, support and develop exceptional practice in a supportive and creative environment then we want to hear from you. Dynamic, innovative, committed and passionate, you’ll bring a comprehensive knowledge and skill-base in your work to the challenge of working with vulnerable children and families.

Our service seeks to actively contribute to organisational learning through recognising, promoting and supporting best practice and service development where required, retaining a clear focus upon positive good outcomes for children and families across the borough. Hackney is proud of its organisational learning culture and strives to find innovative ways of engaging and facilitating change with young people and their families.

Over recent years we have become renowned for innovation. From Reclaim Social Work, to Contextual Safeguarding, Safe and Together and Anti-Racist Practice, we have challenged norms and carved new paths. We value systemic, trauma informed and anti-racist leadership and encourage devolved decision-making at all levels – with senior managers working alongside front-line staff. Our teams are given excellent development opportunities and we are proud to be the first local authority to provide post-graduate qualifications in systemic practice.

Our refreshed Children and Families Service Improvement Action Plan includes 5 ambitious future focused priorities for our service:

• Proud to be Systemic, Trauma Informed and Anti-Racist (STAR)
• Proud to LIsten to Children and Families
• Proud to Work with Partner Agencies
• Proud to Work Together to Keep Children Safe
• Proud to Support Our Workforce to Flourish

Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. It’s one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links and vibrant and diverse communities.

We offer a great place to work with a working environment which is stimulating, creative, fast moving and supportive. Staff can access a range of benefits including:

• An outstanding range of local support services supporting you to make a difference for children and families
• The opportunity to build/shape your career in social work through our excellent training offer to staff including Mentoring and Coaching programmes, our systemic and anti-racist practice training offer, our online learning hub and annual Hackney Stars awards
• Financial support for staff through our Tenancy deposit loan scheme, low cost loans and Childcare vouchers
• An excellent location with the ability to travel easily and cycle around the borough, accessing our Cycle to Work scheme
• Flexible working options including working remotely, buying annual leave scheme and flexible working
• Staff discount scheme (vectis card and local discounts across the borough including gyms, theatres and restaurants)
• An outstanding focus on Health and Wellbeing including discounted gym membership, eye tests, Employee Assistance Programme and a range of carer and family friendly leave options.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 4 May 2026 (22.59)

Interview date: W/c 18 May 2026

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk