Social Worker - CYPWD Mid Essex

Social Worker - Children & Young People with Disabilities Team Mid Essex

Permanent, Full Time

£37,185 to £50,081 Per Annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Operational field-based worker

Closing Date: 28th April 2025

This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. (The starting salary for a NQSW is £34,902 per annum and this will rise to £38,185 per annum on successful completion of the ASYE programme).

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It's an exciting time to join us. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!

Essex County Council understand how important flexibility and wellbeing is for our colleagues working across children's Social Care and that we need to think differently. We have therefore developed a nine-day working fortnight for full time frontline Social Workers within Children's services.

The Role

Family Operations delivers direct provision of services relating to vulnerable children, young people and complex families. These services will be delivered against specifications set by the People Commissioning function in line with the County Council's overarching outcomes. The role reports directly to a Team Manager and will be a member of a small team of children, young people & families professionals focussed on delivering excellent social work practice within given area of service including, but not limited to Assessment & Intervention, Family Support & Protection, Children in Care & Leaving Care, Fostering & Adoption. The postholder is responsible for bringing to bear the highest possible standards in Social Work practice, ability and skills, working in accordance with defined legal frameworks, Policy and Procedures.

The Opportunity

Managing a defined caseload, the Social Worker is responsible for working effectively with children, young people & families/carers to achieve positive change and improved outcomes. This includes enquiry, assessment, purposeful intervention through direct work and review in relation to Child Protection, Child in Need and Children Looked After, achieving permanency through care for Children in Care

Role Specific Accountabilities

• Assess, plan, review and provide support to a child, family or carer with complex family or social care needs, taking full account of appropriate legal frameworks, policy and guidance.
• Assess family functioning, providing help and support, when relationship breakdown threatens to impair the health or well-being of children at risk of abuse or neglect.
• Work collaboratively, building effective working relationships with other professionals, internally and externally to help children, young people and families improve and gain control of their lives when safety or ability to participate in their community is restricted.
• Carry out an assessment or enquiry and plan responses to safeguard a child from abuse, neglect or exploitation, building effective relationships with children, adults and families as appropriate, including intervention when information or circumstances suggest there may be a need to remove a child from their parents or carers.
• Arrange appropriate alternative care (including, where appropriate a permanent home) in collaboration with children, young people and their parents/carers where the parents/carers cannot care for them.
• Accountable for making recommendations about whether a case has reached the threshold for statutory intervention.
• Promoting autonomy and development with individuals who have complex social needs and are more vulnerable as a result of disability, exclusion, or diminished capacity, for example, working with people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or diminished capacity.
• Carry out age and human rights assessments as appropriate.
• Maintain up to date, accurate and high quality records of activity on cases. Participate in a range of planning and decision making forums including case discussions, Strategy Meetings, Legal Planning meetings, Child Protection Conferences, Statutory Reviews
• Make a report to support an application for a care, adoption or other order as relevant
• Write court reports and give evidence in relation to children at risk during legal proceedings
• Assess people's suitability as foster carers, kinship carers (including Special Guardians), or adopters
• Act as Practice Educators for social work qualifying course students on practice placements (as appropriate) or Assessor for Newly Qualified Social Workers completing their ASYE
• Working with communities, families and individuals to maximise or promote their personal strengths, social networks and resources
• Hold a caseload of a level of complexity and provide case management, guidance, support and expert advice to social care staff, students and newly qualified social workers, as and when required

Accountabilities

• Understand the needs of your customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through exemplar behaviour in accordance with ECC's Values and Core Organisational Behaviours
• Work flexibly and collaboratively across structural boundaries in support of key outcomes
• Contribute to development of organisational capability by taking ownership of your own training and development, including identifying and taking part in training and development activity and responding to feedback on performance
• Thinking creatively, challenging the norms, and constructively challenging those around them (including those more senior) to ensure continuous improvement and commercial astuteness, and inspire the same in colleagues
• Take responsibility for identifying and responding to areas of risk including Health and Safety and Business Continuity
• Work as part of project or process teams as required under the new operating model, ensuring excellent cross functional output

The Experience You Will Bring

• A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or Masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current Social Work England (SWE) registration.
• Demonstrable capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards eg Professional Capability Framework (PCF), Knowledge & Skills Statement (KSS)
• Case recording
• Demonstrate ability in the application of SW knowledge, using emotional intelligence, analytical skills and act with confidence in challenging social and family situations.
• A good working knowledge and ability to use information technology and related systems eg, Word, SW case recording systems
• Required to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the County of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.
• Required to work flexibly as required, including evenings and weekends if necessary.

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government's devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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