Social Worker, Children\'s Disability Service

\’Social workers love working in East Sussex because they feel valued and supported.’
Ofsted Report 2024

Children’s Disability Service (CDS) is a small, dedicated service supporting the most vulnerable children and young people in the county. Our dedicated social workers are trained to consider the specific vulnerabilities and risks faced by children with disabilities. If you have a social work qualification but don’t have specific experience working with children with disabilities, we can offer bespoke training and help you develop in this area of specialism. At ESCC we provide extensive support to our social workers. We have high aspirations for the children and young people we work with and we want to deliver an ambitious and creative service which meets the complex needs of our children.

Our brand new initiative: Connected Families intervention Practitioners (CFIP) means that our Social Workers are supported within a multi-agency team so allow the social worker to focus on direct work with children, with the CFIP practitioners offering direct support to parents / carers. Together CFIP practitioners and social workers they will co-produce family assessments and be involved in regular multi agency peer supervisions.

Our progressive approach has resulted in us developing ‘Connected Practice’; allowing Social Workers to forge effective relationships by spending as much time as possible with the child and family whilst delivering sophisticated interventions which bring about genuine and long-lasting change.

We possess clear vision, strong leadership and help to create an environment of stability and security for families. We prioritise and focus on the quality of social work practice rather than processes and procedures.

We are looking for candidates who are able to engage effectively using creativity, compassion and authority to overcome resistance and build relationships. Undertake assessment and analysis to a high standard on complex cases informed by research and theory and linking to child’s plan and be able to promote and provide guidance and challenge on positive approaches to diversity in the organisation addressing discrimination.

To apply for this role, please follow the ‘Apply Now’ button above and upload your CV and a Cover Letter. We will be using your Cover Letter to shortlist so please be sure to address how you meet all the criteria in the person specification, drawing on any relevant work/life experience, education, or personal interests. The main areas we want you to tell us about are:

• Your work with children and young people
• How you communicate with others
• Your application or research in theory in practice

Brief and to the point and with some examples is the way to go!

Please download the Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

At Interview the main areas we’d like you to tell us about include:

• Your work with children and young people
• How you communicate with others
• Your application of research or theory in practice
• Your strong social work leadership skills

Interviews will take place face to face within two weeks of closing date at either St Marys House (Eastbourne) or County Hall (Lewes).

Our unparalleled social work education team are dedicated to supporting our social workers grow and develop within and beyond their roles.

We offer a diverse range of benefits to help and support you during your employment. More information can be found on our benefits page.

For more information about this role please contact Claire Collerson, Operations Manager Email: Claire.collerson@Eastsussex.gov.uk Phone: 01323 466050

Salary: £42,752 – £48,871 (Grade 11-12)*

*Please note that these salaries include a market supplement which has been agreed to the end of June 2026 – you can view the basic salary on our Salaries scales page

For excellent training and development