Essex County Council
Social Worker – Children in Care, West Essex
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About The Role
Social Worker - Children in Care, West Essex
Permanent, Full Time
£36,124 to £51,834 per annum
Location: Harlow
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: 28th July 2026
This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. (The starting salary for a NQSW is £36,124 per annum and this will rise to £38,487 per annum on successful completion of the ASYE programme).
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.
Are you ready to be part of an incredible social work team that's all about support, creativity, and making a real impact on young lives? We currently have a permanent opportunity in the Children in Care Team West.
This role is ideal for someone who is:
- A strong communicator – able to build relationships and clearly present information.
- Analytical and insightful – confident in assessing situations and identifying risks of significant harm.
- Organised and deadline-driven – able to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work on time.
- Decisive and responsible – understands safeguarding and takes appropriate action when needed.
- Creative and child-centred – opportunities for creative direct work with children and advocating their wishes and feelings.
Here's What Sets Us Apart:
- Unwavering Support: Our experienced managers are there for you, every step of the way. They prioritise providing top-notch supervision, so you can excel in your role. Plus, our team believes in daily ad-hoc support because we're in this together.
- A Systemic Approach: At Essex County Council, we approach social work from a systemic perspective. We understand that the challenges our children and young people face go beyond individual circumstances, and we work together to address these complexities.
- Strengths and Trauma-Informed Practice: We utilise a strengths-based, relationship-based, and trauma-informed approach to our practice. We empower our social workers to make a genuine difference.
- Top-Notch Training: The Essex Social Care Academy (ESCA) is your gateway to outstanding training and development opportunities. We're committed to helping you grow in your career.
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What You'll Do:
As part of our Children in Care team, you'll be working with children and young people up to the age of 18 who need our help. Whether they're with foster carers or in residential homes, your goal is to ensure their experience in care is a positive one.
You'll visit children and young people in placement, develop permanency plans (including Special Guardianship Orders and adoption), and help them understand the reasons behind being in care through life-story work.
And for some, your support could be the key to them returning home to their birth family.
Requirements:
- You'll need a diploma or degree in social work, CQSW, CSS, or an equivalent qualification.
- You should be registered with Social Work England as a registered Social Worker.
- You'll need to demonstrate your capability in practice, following current professional standards like the Professional Capability Framework (PCF) and Knowledge & Skills Statement (KSS). You'll excel in case recording and confidently handle complex social and family situations.
- Proficiency in using tools like Word and social work case recording systems is a must.
- Flexibility is key – you might need to work evenings and weekends when necessary, ensuring that children's needs are always met.
Ready to embark on this exciting journey with us? Join our team and be a part of something truly meaningful. Let's make a difference together!
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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