Social Worker – Family Support and Protection, South Essex

About The Role

Permanent, Full Time
£37,185 to £50,081 per annum
Location: Basildon
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: 29th June 2025

This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. The starting salary for a NQSW is £34,902 per annum and this will rise to £37,185 per annum on successful completion of the ASYE programme.

In line with our Skills and Capability Framework, for an experienced Social Worker the basic salary is between £37,185 per annum and £50,081 per annum with 9 entry points across the range.

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.

We are looking for motivated social workers, who are passionate about making a difference for children and their families, to join our team.

Family Support & Protection

The Family Support and Protection (FS&P) teams work with families on Child in Need & Child Protection plans to promote sustainable change. FS&P Social Workers are responsible for building positive relationships with families using systemic and strengths based social work approaches. The work is varied and involves working with Public Law Outline (PLO), Court work including S.7 report and when necessary, taking families into proceedings and some Special Guardianship Order (SGO) assessments.

Through regular reflective supervision and access to CPD/Training from the Essex Social Care Academy a BASW accredited CPD provider you will be encouraged to be creative and innovative in the direct work you undertake with families. We believe that giving families a supportive environment, encouragement and insight helps them to navigate and achieve change.

This is a great opportunity to join a friendly, stable, and dedicated team. If you have a warm and caring personality, are organised, feel passionate about supporting children and their families, believe in a strength-based approach, can work within given timescales, and have a good sense of humour, you’ll fit in well within this supportive and experienced service.

Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• 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 committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.