Social Worker - Kindship Assessment Team, Mid Essex, Chelmsford

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 having received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row. This vacancy can accommodate a newly qualified social worker. Interviews will be held Monday 6th July, in person at County Hall Chelmsford.

The Role

We are looking for a social worker to join the Kinship Assessment Team. The team complete Viability and full Kinship Foster Carers and Special Guardianship Assessments and you will have the opportunity to undertake both, but the initial focus will be on completing Viability assessments on prospective CP/SG families.

The Opportunity

The Kinship Assessment Team was created in 2019 and has expanded to meet the demand across the County. We are seeking an experienced, resilient, self-motivated, and creative Social Worker to join the team. In this fast-paced role you will assess and support potential SGO/Kinship carers who have come forward through the Public Law process, or by the Private Law route and want to offer long-term care for children who are connected to them. The team aims to undertake robust, analytical, and evidence-based assessments which focus on the trauma children suffered and how the proposed carer/special guardian will provide long term care for that child/ren. These assessments are prepared for the court and/or fostering panel and therefore you will need to be required at times to give evidence in court or able to present your assessment to our fostering panel.

From speaking to Special Guardians/Carers, we know that it is essential for them to be fully prepared and informed to make the right decisions going forward. As a result, we provide preparation training days regularly to ensure that we give people the opportunity to learn and ask questions.

The Social work role within the team brings the following:

• An exciting opportunity to use your assessment skills, knowledge around attachment and trauma and develop new skills.
• Hold a manageable caseload.
• Ensure ongoing development and training.
• Links with Coram BAAF and national development of National Kinship Strategy.
• Monthly supervision and team meetings.
• Working flexibly and manage your own diary.
• Being involved in the continuous development of the service within Essex.
• Take part in training delivery.
• Supportive and helpful colleagues who are there for each other and where needed joint working is encouraged.

Our goal is to become a centre of excellence, and we are continuously developing the service. The work is fast-paced and challenging yet hugely rewarding. We are two teams but work as one service and this vacancy is to cover maternity leave in team 2. As a county wide service, we work across all quadrants, North, West, Mid and South and beyond Essex, so it doesn't matter where you live.

We are looking for a social worker with:

• Experience and a good understanding of work within Children and Families and Fostering service preferably but not essential.
• Commitment to children remaining with their extended family when possible.
• Analytical assessment writing skills and record keeping are essential.
• An ability to undertake succinct, timely and thorough assessments in complex situations and to tight timescales.
• Experience of attending Court, fostering panel and to produce good quality reports is beneficial.
• Understanding of the impact for carers of neglect/abuse and trauma on children and to provide support through the assessment.
• Excellent communication skills are essential as you will be expected to work closely with families, other ECC services, including but not limited to Fostering, Children in Care, FS&P and Legal Services as well as alongside external agencies.
• A commitment to flexible working is essential as some assessments will be out of county and/or with families who have huge demands on their time.
• Be part of the duty system rota.

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.

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) 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.

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.