Essex County Council
Social Worker – Family Support and Protection, South Essex
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About The Role
Social Worker - Family Support and Protection, South Essex
Permanent, Full Time
£36,124 to £51,834 per annum
Location: Basildon
Working Style: Anywhere worker
Closing Date: 9th September 2026
Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.
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).
In line with our Skills and Capability Framework, for an experienced Social Worker the basic salary is between £38,487 per annum and £51,834 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. If you would like more information on this, please follow this link.
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 having received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row. There is ‘No Magic’ to it, click here to see why
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 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.
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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”
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.
To read more about us please visit https://www.workingforessex.com/role/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.
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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. Read more about us.
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.
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
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