Adults Social Worker - Discharge to Assess in Colchester

Interviews will be held in person at Rowan House, Colchester on 19th February 2026.

We’re an adult social care service that wants to see citizens of Essex have as much choice and control over the way they live their lives as possible. We think everyone should have the chance to live a full and fulfilling life with people they love and care about, doing things that matter to them and living in a place they can call home. We’re determined that with the right support, everyone can maintain or achieve some independence and we’re proud to be working to make these ambitions a reality.

Our Social Workers work alongside people and their families and carers to help them think through what might help them get on with their lives in the way that works best for them. We do this within the framework of our statutory Care Act requirements. This means many of our conversations are framed as ‘assessments’, ‘reviews’, ‘support planning’ and ‘safeguarding’. But our aim is always to listen and understand what matters to the person and then to work with them to think through how this might be achieved.

We are looking for a passionate and experienced Social Worker to join our Discharge to Assess team in North Essex. This is an opportunity to work in a vibrant and lively Discharge to Assess (D2A) team. The team support people who have recently been discharged from hospital or supporting them to prevent an admission into hospital. Our focus is on enabling safe and timely discharge, followed by continued care and assessment in the community. Wherever possible Adults will be supported to return to their home for assessment. The team support people post hospital discharge, providing you with a wider range of experiences to support your professional growth, skills and knowledge as a practitioner.

The role may require being based at multiple sites across Colchester and Tendring for up to 5 days per week. The team operates on a 7-day rota basis, you will be required to work one weekend in six and one bank holiday per year for which you will receive a 6% flat rate allowance in addition to the basic annual salary.

If you share our vision, enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories you might be interested to find out more about what we do. If you’re also an experienced Social Worker (post ASYE) registered with Social Work England with that winning combination of creative thought, reliability and practical ability to get things done, we’d really love to hear from you! You’ll have a broad understanding of our statutory responsibilities and a commitment to meeting these in a person-centred way. You may have experience of chairing meetings, and you’ll have an ability to develop strong relationships with partner agencies and the local community to provide a supportive framework.

Our Social Worker roles involve travelling around Essex. A driving licence and car – or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means – is essential.

In June 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated our Adult Social Care services as “Good” with a score of 73%. “The local authority had a good structure and processes in place to enable people to be supported successfully, and support people to remain independent and live healthy lives. The workforce was passionate about supporting people to achieve these outcomes and the local authority had good knowledge of their area, the people living there and the demographics.”

Our teams are busy but warm, friendly and supportive. Our fabulous team managers will help you manage your workload and develop your practice. We take your career just as seriously as you do, and we have a continuing professional development offer that’s second to none. We welcome diversity because it makes us grow and we’re determined to become a fully inclusive and an anti-racist organisation.

We’ll support you to be your best and will offer:

• Ongoing opportunities for continuing professional development
• Flexible working options
• Employee wellbeing and counselling
• Lease Car scheme
• Life assurance of three times annual salary
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Volunteering leave
• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising with service
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Employee Networks
• Payment of your Social Work England registration fees!

Whatever you want to achieve in your social work career, you can do it here. *T&Cs Apply.

For more information contact Abbie.Mollison@essex.gov.uk

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.

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.

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To apply please click the Apply Now link below.