Essex County Council
Kinship Supervising Social Worker
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About The Role
Kinship Supervising Social Worker
Fixed Term, Full Time
£38,487.00 to £51,834.00 Per Annum
Location: Countywide
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: 28th July 2026
Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 24 Months.
We're looking for dedicated Supervising Social Workers with a passion for Kinship care to join our fostering service across four regions of Essex:
- Mid Essex (Chelmsford)
- North Essex (Colchester)
- West Essex (Harlow)
- South Essex (Basildon)
We are looking for a committed and skilled Social Worker to strengthen the support and training offered to kinship foster carers in your Fostering Quadrant.
You will be the lead to support your team and other stakeholders in their understanding of all Kinship issues.
You will play a key role in delivering trauma-informed, relational support and shaping high-quality training that reflects the realities of kinship care.
If you're passionate about supporting kinship foster families and helping children thrive, we'd love to hear from you.
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!
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 the 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.
To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families
Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video
The role of Supervising Social Worker within Fostering
As a supervising social worker in a busy fostering team, the role will require the support, monitoring and development of local authority foster carers in accordance with the 2011 National Minimum Standards for Fostering and Fostering Service regulations to safeguard the wellbeing of Children in Care. There is an expectation that the post holder will co-lead some training events for foster carers and undertake updated assessments of carers when change of circumstances occur. Good report writing is required. Some other duties also include:
- Supporting foster carers through regular home visits and telephone contact, including at least one unannounced visit every year.
- Monitor and review the care provided by foster carers to children placed in their care, ensuring that they provide a safe, healthy and nurturing environment for children and young people in their care and in accordance with the requirements of Fostering National Minimum Standards.
- Ensure that foster carer’s annual household reviews are completed within timescales and follow Fostering Panel processes, as required.
- Support foster carers through complaints procedures and child protection procedures, as required.
- Participate in the matching process when children and young people are placed with foster carers, to ensure the best possible match and to identify any gaps in a match and offer support accordingly.
- Ensure that foster carers receive all appropriate documentation regarding each child or young person placed and to ensure that foster carers keep good records and file all confidential documents securely.
- Ensure that foster carers are receiving the statutory support from the child/ young person’s social worker and other professionals involved and to address this appropriately, if it is not the case.
- Work with foster carers to encourage and support contact for children and young people in accordance with their care plans.
- Assists the foster carer in ensuring that children and young people are heard in reviews, planning and in pursuing any complaints.
- Required to work flexibly as required, including evenings and weekends if necessary.
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Skills And Knowledge
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
- A recognised social work qualification, degree or master’s 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.
- Significant experience of social work, demonstrating a comprehensive and up to date understanding of all relevant legislation, regulation and guidance, specially related to Homelessness.
- Experience of chairing meetings involving clients, family members and/or carers and other multi-agency professionals.
- Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children, young people and families.
- In depth understanding of delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
- Proven track record 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.
Why Essex?
As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.
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In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.
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. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
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 would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.
If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.
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