Social Worker – Link Family Worker, North

About The Role

Social Worker - Link Family Worker, North Essex

Permanent, Full Time

£36,124 to £51,834 per annum

Location:

Clacton on Sea

Working Style:
Community-based worker

We are recruiting an experienced Social Worker (Link Family Worker) to join our high-performing Family Solutions team in Tendring, part of Essex’s Children & Families service. This role delivers early help to families facing multiple and complex challenges, collaborating with statutory children’s services and partner agencies to promote safe and sustainable change.

• Managing a caseload, assessing safeguarding risks and supporting threshold decisions with manager and practice supervisor.
• Providing professional advice and guidance on complex cases, including mentoring of colleagues.
• Building strong, trusting relationships with families to enable meaningful and sustained change.
• Working collaboratively with statutory children’s services and partner agencies to coordinate support.
• Facilitating family meetings, coordinating services, and providing emotional and practical support in homes and community settings.

• Support manager and practice supervisor to screen new contacts and understand thresholds.
• Determine direction and actions required to progress cases daily, recognising key risks or concerns to refer to senior staff.
• Act as source of advice, guidance and support for colleagues on complex cases.
• Conduct holistic assessments of family needs and create intervention plans reflecting family and young person views.
• Facilitate complex family meetings, managing competing views to find achievable solutions.
• Deliver individual and group programmes to empower families to resolve issues and access local services.
• Provide specific practical, personal and emotional support to families in homes or other settings as per agreed plan.
• Participate in regular supervision to review work and ensure effective interventions.
• Embed principles of effective practice, ensuring risk management and compliance with Effective Support and Guidance thresholds.

• Qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England, post-ASYE.
• Recent experience in frontline children’s services, conducting assessments and managing CIN and/or CP cases.
• Willingness to work towards Practice Educator Qualification.
• Commitment to uphold social work standards and values.
• Evidence of continuing professional development with relevant knowledge and evidence-based practice.
• Significant practical experience with families having multiple and complex needs.
• Effective communication, problem-solving, and assessment skills with a track record of building positive relationships.
• Experience applying a solution-focused approach to support families toward positive outcomes.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, using supervision appropriately.

Mobile throughout a wider operational area, including travel across Essex and beyond. Must have a driving licence and a vehicle, or other means to meet mobility requirements.

Essex County Council is a Disability Confident Leader and commits to interview all disabled applicants under the Job Interview Scheme if they meet minimum requirements.

All veterans and care leavers who meet minimum requirements are considered.

Great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, expecting all employees to share this commitment.