Kinship Navigator – Rochdale

Purpose of the role

The Kinship Navigator provides intensive, time-limited support to kinship carers through the Kinship Connected programme, a structured six-month intervention designed to help kinship families stabilise placements and access the support they need.

Working directly with kinship carers, you will build trusting relationships while completing structured assessments, goal setting and reviews to help families strengthen support networks and navigate services such as children’s social care, education, health and community support.

This is a community-facing role, working directly with kinship carers in homes, community spaces and through co-location with local authority teams and partner organisations.

The role requires a combination of high-quality relational practice and disciplined case recording. As part of the pilot RCT, accurate documentation of activity, progress and outcomes is essential to ensure the programme can be evaluated and improved.

You will work closely with the Programmes Manager, delivery team, researchers and local authority partners to ensure the programme is delivered consistently, ethically and to a high standard, with a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in supporting kinship families from all backgrounds.

Direct support

You will provide intensive one-to-one support to kinship carers for up to six months, working within the delivery approach set out in the Kinship Connected Intervention Protocol and Service Manual. You will also establish and facilitate a monthly support group within your local area.

This may include:

•  Providing emotional and practical support to kinship carers.
• Advocating for kinship carers in meetings with professionals where
  appropriate.
• Establishing and facilitating a monthly support group for kinship carers in your area.
• Mapping local services and building relationships with organisations that can provide specialist support, training or activities for kinship families.
• Liaising with schools, local authorities and other professionals to coordinate
  support.
• Supporting kinship carers with challenges relating to the child(ren) in their
  kinship care.
• Signposting to relevant services, support organisations and Kinship training
  opportunities.
• Coordinating celebration and family events (including in Kinship Care Week).
• Supporting applications for grants for essential items or family breaks.

Collaboration and partnership working

• Collaborate with the programme delivery team, researchers and evaluation
  partners, contributing insights and learning from practice to support
  programme improvement and evidence generation.
• Work closely with colleagues across Kinship, including Advice, Peer Support, Training, Communications and the Kinship Connected core team, to ensure joined-up support for kinship carers.
• Build constructive relationships with local authority partners to support
  awareness of the programme, clear referral pathways and effective
  engagement with kinship carers.
• Contribute to cross-team learning, sharing emerging insights about kinship
  carers’ experiences and local systems to inform service development and
  wider organisational learning.
• Represent Kinship at local meetings, networks or events to strengthen
  collaboration and awareness of kinship care.

Safeguarding and risk management

Kinship has a robust safeguarding structure. You will be supported by a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Designated Deputy Safeguarding Leads (DDSL). In line with this policy, you will:

• Recognise, report, record, respond and refer safeguarding risks via our
  safeguarding process with the support for the safeguarding team.
• Follow and understand the organisational safeguarding policies.
• Complete risk assessments for events in-line with Kinship’s policy.
• Follow the Kinship Health and Safety policy.
• Use the StaySafe lone worker app.

Monitoring, evaluation and data quality

Accurate and consistent data recording is a core and critical requirement of this role. As Kinship Connected is being delivered as a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT), maintaining high-quality records and following agreed processes is essential to ensure the programme can be properly evaluated.

• Maintain accurate, timely records of all activity, assessments, support plans,
  contacts and outcomes on Kinship’s CRM system (Salesforce) in line with
  organisational policy and programme protocols.
• Complete kinship carer needs assessments, SMART goal setting, reviews and outcome recording in accordance with the Kinship Navigator model and trial requirements.
• Follow all operational and data collection requirements of the pilot feasibility RCT, ensuring activity and outcomes are recorded consistently to support independent evaluation.
• Fully contribute to monitoring, reporting, quality assurance and learning
  processes, including collecting feedback and case studies that demonstrate impact.

General duties

• Act at all times in the best interests of Kinship and in line with our values.
• Participate in team meetings, supervision, appraisals and organisational
  events.
• Engage in training, reflective practice and ongoing professional development.
• Contribute to organisational initiatives, including activities that raise awareness of kinship care.
• Undertake other reasonable duties required to support the work of the team and organisation.

Experience

• Experience delivering direct support to vulnerable families or carers, including completing needs assessments and developing support plans.
• Experience providing structured one-to-one support, casework or family
  support over a defined period.
• Experience working directly in community settings or alongside local authority or partner organisations.
• Experience facilitating peer or support groups in community or online settings.
• Experience working with statutory, voluntary and community services,
  including liaising with professionals around the family.
• Experience recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding
  concerns.

Knowledge and understanding

• Understanding of the challenges facing kinship carers and the children they care for, or the ability to develop this knowledge quickly.
• Understanding of trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches when
  working with families.
• Awareness of how children’s social care, education, health or welfare systems affect families.

Skills and abilities

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build
  trusting relationships with kinship carers and professionals.
• Ability to manage a caseload, prioritise work effectively and maintain clear
  professional boundaries.
• Excellent ability to maintain accurate case records and data using a CRM or case management system (e.g. Salesforce).
• Strong organisational and IT skills, including the ability to use digital systems for case management, communication and reporting.
• Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative delivery team.

Personal attributes

•  Professional, empathetic and resilient when supporting families facing
  complex challenges.
• Commitment to Kinship’s values and mission, with a strong focus on putting kinship carers first.
• Demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, with the ability to work respectfully and effectively with kinship families from a wide range of backgrounds and communities.
• Willingness to travel within the local authority area and occasionally
  elsewhere in England for meetings or training.
• Right to work in the UK.

• Lived experience of kinship care.
• Knowledge of policy, guidance and support available for kinship carers.
• Experience working within children’s social care, family support or community services.
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM / case management systems.