Social Worker – Children in Care, West Essex in Harlow

Permanent, Full Time

£36,124 to £51,834 per annum

Location: Harlow

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 28th July 2026

This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. The starting salary for a NQSW is £36,124 per annum and this will rise to £38,487 per annum on successful completion of the ASYE programme.

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.

Are you ready to be part of an incredible social work team that’s all about support, creativity, and making a real impact on young lives? We currently have a permanent opportunity in the Children in Care Team West.

• A strong communicator – able to build relationships and clearly present information.
• Analytical and insightful – confident in assessing situations and identifying risks of significant harm.
• Organised and deadline-driven – able to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work on time.
• Decisive and responsible – understands safeguarding and takes appropriate action when needed.
• Creative and child-centred – opportunities for creative direct work with children and advocating their wishes and feelings.

As part of our Children in Care team, you’ll be working with children and young people up to the age of 18 who need our help. Whether they’re with foster carers or in residential homes, your goal is to ensure their experience in care is a positive one. You’ll visit children and young people in placement, develop permanency plans (including Special Guardianship Orders and adoption), and help them understand the reasons behind being in care through life‑story work. And for some, your support could be the key to them returning home to their birth family.

• You’ll need a diploma or degree in social work, CQSW, CSS, or an equivalent qualification.
• You should be registered with Social Work England as a registered Social Worker.
• You’ll need to demonstrate your capability in practice, following current professional standards like the Professional Capability Framework (PCF) and Knowledge & Skills Statement (KSS).
• You will excel in case recording and confidently handle complex social and family situations.
• Proficiency in using tools like Word and social work case recording systems is a must.
• Flexibility is key – you might need to work evenings and weekends when necessary, ensuring that children’s needs are always met.

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.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) if your role requires 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.

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. 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.