Job Introduction
The Service
The team work closely with colleagues from the Police, Health, Education, Early Help, Probation, the Youth Offending Team and the Navy Welfare Service to keep children safe. MASH is a dynamic and fast-moving service managing large volumes of information within tight timescales.
The Role
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. As an Early Help Worker within the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), you will play a vital role in supporting families whose needs meet the Tier 3 threshold. You will work collaboratively with professionals across the city to ensure children and families receive timely and effective support.
Key Responsibilities
- Work within the MASH Early Help Team to assess and support families at Tier 3 level.
- Identify support needs and guide professionals in developing Early Help Assessments (EHAs), family support plans, and coordinating meetings.
- Provide advice and guidance on Early Help procedures, local services, and available resources.
- Liaise with families, schools, and other universal providers to coordinate support.
- Lead on MASH education, offering risk analysis and recommendations for support.
- Occasionally engage in direct work with children and families, requiring strong communication skills across all age groups.
- Support training initiatives led by the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership.
The ideal candidate
You will need to have/be
- Substantial experience working with children and families in social care or education settings.
- Demonstrate independence, objectivity, and the ability to challenge professional practice.
- An effective communicator, able to build relationships and liaise across all levels.
- Show initiative and problem-solving skills under pressure.
- Remain calm and follow safeguarding procedures in stressful or unpredictable situations.
- Work independently and collaboratively within a team, adhering to national standards and local procedures.
- Flexible and adaptable to changing team demands and able to provide cover when needed.
- Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills to manage a busy workload and meet statutory timescales. Flexible and adaptable to changing team demands and able to provide cover when needed.
Interview date: 4th September 2025
Please ensure that you read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement on your application.
Application process
We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.
As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
About Portsmouth City Council
What we can offer you:
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800
