Essex County Council is seeking multiple Social Workers to join Family Support and Protection (FS&P) - Mid Essex covering Chelmsford and surrounding areas. We are looking for dedicated professionals who are passionate about supporting families facing complex, long-term issues and making a positive impact in the community. This position is open to Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and Experienced Social Workers. (The starting salary for a NQSW is £33,885 per annum and this will rise to £36,101 per annum on successful completion of the ASYE programme). The advertised salary will be pro rata'd for part time hours. 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. Join our Family Support and Protection (FS&P) teams dedicated to supporting families facing complex, long-term issues. We collaborate with families needing extended interventions, particularly when children are under child protection plans or require alternative care arrangements. Our approach involves building strong relationships and employing systemic and strengths-based methods to guide families towards positive change while managing risks. Key responsibilities include: Assessing complex social care needs and devising support plans for families. Ensuring adherence to legal frameworks for statutory intervention. Collaborating with various stakeholders and partners to provide comprehensive support to children and families. Developing child-centered approaches for early intervention, prevention, and independence. Influencing inter-agency planning and decision-making, contributing to case discussions and interventions. Communicating assessments and professional judgments clearly, both orally and in written reports, including court statements. Requirements : A recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England. Continued professional development in line with relevant competency frameworks. Experience in challenging social and family situations. Strong communication skills and the ability to engage with diverse groups. Building strong relationships with partners and the community to achieve shared goals. Understanding the balance between cost-effective interventions and meeting needs. Demonstrated ability in clear decision-making to manage potential risks associated with interventions. Join us in supporting families, promoting resilience, and working towards brighter futures for children and young people in need. To read more about us please visit Children & Families Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video 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 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.teamessex.gov.uk Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page. Downloads Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working | About Us | Organisation Behaviours