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Have you ever been interested in how Family Support and Protection's social work practice differs from other teams?

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. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!

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 us ing 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 means we can say goodbye to families knowing they have to tools to sustain 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.

Why the team enjoy working here

"I love the team and will really miss it. I am only leaving to take up a new role a senior practitioner. However, I am staying in the same service as I love the work we do with families and the supportive relationships within the teams"

"I have been in the team since becoming a newly qualified social worker, it has been almost 4 years since I joined and I have enjoyed moving through the roles from all the way through to Senior Practitioner - this team is like a family"

"The support I have received from everyone in the team during my NQSW year has helped me gain confidence and although things can get a bit tough at times there is always someone on hand ready with a cuppa or on the end of a phone to talk things through with or help me manage difficult situations - I never feel alone"

"I started coming down to spend time with the team when I was a student social worker and I stayed - I am now a senior practitioner, our manager is really supportive and takes time to get to know you"

The opportunity

This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. (The starting salary for a NQSW is £31,161 per annum and this will rise to £34,712 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 £34,712 per annum and £46,751 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.

Skills, Knowledge 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.

Children & Families:

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.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England's oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest - Basildon and Harlow - are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

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. For further information on the DBS update service please go to

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.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email