Behind every statistic about the families we support is a practitioner who showed up — sometimes in difficult circumstances, sometimes at short notice, always with commitment. We sat down with Sarah, a Family Support Practitioner based in Ipswich, to understand what a typical day looks like.
“No two days are the same”
Sarah has worked with Ormiston Families for six years. She holds a caseload of around twelve families at any one time, each at different stages of a support plan. Her day usually starts with a team briefing, reviewing any overnight safeguarding updates and coordinating with social workers, school liaison officers, and health visitors.
“By nine o’clock I might already have three messages from families I’m working with,” she explains. “You have to be able to prioritise quickly and stay calm.”
The home visit
A significant part of Sarah’s day is spent in families’ homes. Home visits allow practitioners to see the full picture of a family’s life — the pressures, the dynamics, the small victories that would never surface in a clinical setting.
“Watching a family get to a point where they don’t need us anymore — that’s the goal. We’re not here to create dependency, we’re here to build people up so they can do it themselves.” — Sarah, Family Support Practitioner
If you are interested in a career in family support, visit our Vacancies page to see current openings.