How to Write a Family Support Worker Resume (with Example)

Family support workers provide emotional and practical support to families experiencing challenging living conditions, long-term illnesses and domestic difficulties. Employers may request resumes to evaluate candidates' understanding of social support processes and ensure they have the correct checks to work closely with families. Learning what information to include in each section of a family support worker resume helps you create a highly relevant document that appeals to employers. In this article, we explain what a family support worker is, outline how to write a resume for this position and provide a template and an example to guide you.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

What is a family support worker?

A family support worker is someone who offers practical help and emotional support to ensure the social and physical well-being of vulnerable families in a community. In this role, you decide on actions that benefit a family's living circumstances, strive to improve their access to education or emotional and physical support following an assessment, and offer counselling to help them navigate social systems to gain practical support. While working closely with families, you also liaise with professional representatives from the legal and medical fields to ensure protection and treatment for those who require it.

Related: How to Become a Support Worker (with Qualifications and Skills)

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How to write a family support worker resume

The following steps outline how to write a family support worker resume:

1. Share your contact details

Start by adding your contact details, and ensure this information is consistent across all your application documents. At the top of the resume, write your full name followed by your highest qualification relevant to support work. Employers typically scan this section first, and showing that you qualify for the role may encourage them to keep reading. Next, provide your phone number, email address and the city and state or territory where you live so employers know which area you can oversee.

Related: 11 Community Service Careers (with Duties and Salaries)

2. Summarise your unique qualities

Employers may seek family support workers who value social justice, are confident in the application of social systems theory and can make complex decisions, so consider highlighting attributes such as these in your professional summary. To understand what employers require, analyse the job description and identify keywords that describe their ideal candidate. Match your strengths accordingly to show you align with the role's specifications. Summarise your most outstanding qualities in 2 or 3 sentences.

Related: Community Support Worker Skills (Definition and Skills)

3. Describe relevant experiences

Create an experience section to outline your current or most recent positions. Include any direct experience with social work, as your primary responsibilities in these roles are likely to be more relevant to the vacant position. Alternatively, demonstrate the transferable skills you applied in related roles, such as at-home care, youth support or personal care and administration, and highlight your interest in helping others.

State the title of each job, your dates of employment and the name and location of the organisation. Use 3 to 5 bullet points to describe your duties so your resume is scannable. Refer to any formal plans and legislation you applied to cases, methodologies that developed your support strategies and techniques you employed to offer emotional support. Clarify whether you have experience in similar circumstances, such as assisting family members experiencing neglect or requiring mental health support, so employers can identify which types of cases you're most familiar with.

Related: What Does a Support Worker Do? (With Definition and Salary)

4. List your relevant skills and personal attributes

List your outstanding skills separated by pipe characters. Family support workers rely on their awareness of social legislation to make informed decisions, use their hard skills or specific knowledge to intervene effectively during a crisis and apply their soft skills to work efficiently on sensitive cases. Here are key skills you might include:

• Case management: Family support workers often oversee several cases simultaneously, so organisation, communication and decision-making skills are key. Strong case management abilities ensure you provide adequate care to each family and stay up-to-date with changes to their circumstances that may require you to alter your strategies.

• Emotional intelligence: The role can involve highly sensitive situations, such as crises and neglect, so emotional intelligence allows you to separate your personal feelings from your professional role. This enables you to provide consistent and proactive support in challenging situations.

• Knowledge of social structures: As a family support worker, you make decisions that significantly impact families' circumstances, which requires you to be up-to-date with national social structures and laws. This knowledge also helps you to develop well-being strategies and understand the rights families have when claiming support.

• Mediation: Mediation allows family support workers to manage conversations between parties by ensuring everyone has their say and preventing conflict. In this role, you apply active listening, interpersonal skills and clear communication to mediate situations.

• Analytical thinking: Analytical thinking helps you assess family situations thoroughly to evaluate what action can benefit each individual. It also enables you to record progress and identify necessary alterations to improve cases.

Related: Skills of a Support Worker: Definitions and Examples

5. Add your education

Add your academic credentials to show you meet the job's educational requirements. Include the title of the qualification and the name of the institution you attended. Relevant qualifications include a Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention or courses in community services and counselling. Add any accredited credentials you possess, such as an Australian Community Worker's Association accredited diploma in family services, and provide the name of the host organisation.

Related: How to Write a Resume for a Support Worker? (With Sample)

6. Include relevant checks

Family support workers help people in vulnerable circumstances and make decisions according to the law, and employers often require checks to ensure you can legally work in this environment. Under Certifications, state the type of check, the awarding institute and the date of obtainment or expiration, if applicable. Examples include a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check and a National Disability Insurance Scheme Worker Screening Clearance relevant to your state. You can also list a first aid certificate and other skill-enriching certificates you obtained.

Related: Jobs That Involve Working with Children

Resume template for family support workers

Here's a resume template to review:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State or Territory]

Professional Summary
[Two to 3 sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Territory]

• (strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [job duty]

• [job duty]

• [job duty]

• [job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Territory]

• (strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [job duty]

• [job duty]

Skills
[Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]

Education
[Degree and Major] | [Name of School or University]

Certifications (optional)
[Certification Name], [Host Organisation] – [Year completed or expiration date]

Related: Support Worker Cover Letter Template (with Example)

Resume example for family support workers

Here's a resume example for an experienced candidate:

Melinda Smith, Diploma of Family Services
(07) 5550 3405 | melinda.smith@email.com | Toowoomba, Queensland

Professional Summary
Analytical, proactive family support worker with 3 years of experience developing situational strategies that improve families' living circumstances and emotional well-being. Proficient with welfare and family assistance law and strong decision-making, mediating and problem-solving skills.

Experience

Family Support Worker | March 2020–Current
Family Act First Support | Toowoomba, Queensland

• conduct thorough assessments of families' living, financial and educational circumstances to identify safety concerns and risks

• develop strategies and coordinate the involvement of child protection services to offer weekly respite for families experiencing financial hardship

• implement strategies that support vulnerable family members' physical and mental health, and provide counselling to identify and prioritise areas of need

• advocate for the safety and support of children, ensuring they can access warmth, education, sufficient meals and liquids

• maintain awareness of state and national welfare legislation and regulations to make informed decisions and report to authorities in crises

Personal Care Assistant | July 2018–March 2020
Friend to Friend Support Group | Toowoomba, Queensland

• provided direct care to patients by maintaining personal hygiene, tidying their hair, cleaning surroundings and providing nutritious meals

• completed errands such as collecting prescriptions and buying household necessities

• observed patients' conditions and contacted medical specialists and family support workers following changes in condition, conciseness, mobility and behaviour

Skills
Case management | Advocacy of social justice | State and national welfare regulation awareness | Emotional intelligence | Rapport building | Crises intervention

Education
Accredited Diploma of Family Services | AFSW Accredited Learner's Institute

Certifications
First Aid Certificate, Queensland Healthcare and Ambulance Office – Expiration June 2025
National Police Check, Queensland Checking Office
Working with Children Check, Blue Card Services Queensland – Expiration July 2026