Social Worker - Leaving & Aftercare Team, Mid Essex, Chelmsford

Fixed Term, Full Time

£38,487 to £51,834 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Please note, this is a fixed term contract or a secondment opportunity for a period of up to 12 months.

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.

In line with our Skills and Capability Framework, for an experienced Social Worker the basic salary is between £38,487 per annum and £51,834 per annum with 9 entry points across the range.

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.

Leaving & Aftercare Teams concentrate on good outcomes for young people aged 16-25 who are in - or have left - care. They are multi-disciplinary teams made up of mental health coordinators and targeted youth advisors.

The Opportunity

Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity, and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers, and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

Social workers manage a defined caseload, including assessment of risk and purposeful intervention through direct relationship-based work and review. Delivering excellent practice and value for money services.

A registered social worker, educated to degree level, with ability to demonstrate practice in accordance with current professional standards. Experienced in developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies, and stakeholders to deliver improved outcomes.

Accountabilities

• Assess complex social care needs and provide support to children and families.
• Develop support plans that gain commitment to solutions that enable the young person, and family to build resilience and look forward to a brighter future.
• Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached.
• Work collaboratively, building effective relationships with internal and external partnerships and stakeholders and the voluntary sector, to assist children and their families and carers in gaining support.
• Accountable for conducting assessments and plan responses to safeguard a child or young person and promote their welfare, including appropriate intervention as determined by need.
• Develop a child centred approach which enables early intervention and prevention and increases independence.
• Pro-actively influences in a range of inter-agency planning, decision making and case discussions.
• Communicate assessments and professional judgements clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing, including report writing and court statements.
• Work with families, communities, and individuals to help people get the best start in life and age well, supporting strategic aims.

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 registration with Social Work England as a registered social worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Experience within a social work setting with evidence of challenging social and family situations.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to develop a rapport and engage with diverse groups of individuals.
• Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies, and the local community, to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children and families.
• Understand delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
• Evidence of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

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.

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.

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.