Social Worker, Family Worker (Link Role) - West Essex in Chelmsford

Permanent, Full Time

£37,185 to £50,081 per annum

Location: Harlow

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 15th February 2026

We are recruiting for Social Workers (Link Family Workers) to join our high-performing Family Solutions team based in West Essex. This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a service described by Ofsted as "exceptional", delivering early help to families facing multiple and complex challenges. Family Solutions is part of Essex's Children & Families service, working holistically with disadvantaged families to help them make meaningful and lasting changes. You will be part of a supportive, multi-disciplinary team that values collaboration, innovation, and professional growth.

The Opportunity

• Act as a source of advice and support for colleagues, including joint visits and joint working on complex cases.
• Support the team to build positive and constructive working relationships with colleagues in statutory children's services.
• Manage your own caseload and assess safeguarding risks.
• Work in partnership with the team manager and practice supervisor to review referrals and support threshold decisions.
• Build strong, trusting relationships with families to promote positive change.
• Provide practical and specialist advice.
• Facilitate complex family meetings and coordinate additional support services.
• Offer emotional and practical support in homes and community settings.
• Work closely with your manager or senior social worker through regular supervision.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for supporting manager and practice supervisor to undertake screenings of new contacts, understanding threshold.
• Responsible for determining the direction and actions required in order to progress cases forward on a day-to-day basis.
• Responsible for acting as a source of advice, guidance and support to colleagues in relation to complex cases.
• Responsible for undertaking holistic assessments of family needs to help create intervention plans.
• Responsible for facilitating complex family meetings, managing the potentially competing views of families and professionals.
• Responsible for undertaking individual and group programmes of work to enable children and families to develop their skills.
• Responsible for providing specific practical, personal and emotional support to families.
• Responsible for actively participating in regular supervision.
• Responsible for ensuring that the principles of effective practice are fully embedded in service delivery.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England, and post-ASYE.
• Recent experience in frontline children's services, experience of completing assessment and managing CIN and/or CP Cases.
• At least three years' experience post qualifying.
• A strong commitment to uphold the standards and values of the social work profession.
• Evidence of continuing professional development with good knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Significant practical experience of working with families with multiple and complex needs.
• Effective communication skills, good problem solving and assessment skills.
• Experience of applying a solution focused approach and providing practical advice and support to families.
• Ability to work in partnership with others to maximise outcomes for families.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area.

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 are committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. 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.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. We are also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role.

Once you have secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles.

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.