About The Role
Social Worker Family Worker (Link Role), Mid Essex – Permanent, Full Time.
Salary: £37,185 to £50,081 per annum.
Location: Chelmsford.
Working Style: Community-based worker.
Closing Date: 29th January 2026.
We’re recruiting Social Workers (Link Family Workers) to join our high-performing Family Solutions team based in Mid Essex. This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a service described by Ofsted as “exceptional”, delivering early help to families facing multiple and complex challenges.
Family Solutions is part of Essex’s Children & Families service, working holistically with disadvantaged families to help them make meaningful and lasting changes. You’ll be part of a supportive, multi‑disciplinary team that values collaboration, innovation, and professional growth.
The Opportunity
* Act as a source of advice and support for colleagues, including joint visits and joint working on complex cases such as those involving concerns around neglect.
* Support the team to build positive and constructive relationships with colleagues in statutory children's services.
* Manage your own caseload and assess safeguarding risks.
* Work in partnership with the team manager and practice supervisor to review referrals and support threshold decisions as required by the team.
* Build strong, trusting relationships with families to promote positive change.
* Provide practical and specialist advice.
* Facilitate complex family meetings and coordinate additional support services.
* Offer emotional and practical support in homes and community settings.
* Work closely with your manager or senior social worker through regular supervision.
* An opportunity to support further integration into Family Solutions and Children Social Care as part of the Family First Partnership Programme.
Accountabilities
* Support the manager and practice supervisor to undertake screenings of new contacts, understanding threshold.
* Determine direction and actions required to progress cases day‑to‑day, recognising when key decisions need referral to the Team Manager or Practice Supervisor.
* Provide advice, guidance and support to colleagues on complex cases that would benefit from social work expertise, mentoring and guiding alternatively qualified colleagues in best practice.
* Conduct holistic assessments of family needs to create intervention plans and identify how outcomes can be achieved that fully reflect the family and young person’s views and aspirations.
* Facilitate complex family meetings, managing potentially competing views of families and professionals to find achievable solutions.
* Deliver individual and group programmes of work to enable children and families to develop their skills to resolve issues and problems themselves; provide information and accompany families to access other local services.
* Provide specific practical, personal and emotional support to families in their homes or other settings as part of an agreed plan to achieve sustainable outcomes.
* Actively participate in regular supervision to review work and ensure effective interventions.
* Embed principles of effective practice in service delivery; work collaboratively with staff and partners to ensure effective risk management in line with the thresholds of the Effective Support and Guidance document and the SET child protection procedures.
* Contribute to annual targets and objectives within the performance management framework.
Qualifications & Experience
* Qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England, and post‑ASYE.
* Recent experience in frontline children’s services, including completing assessments and managing CIN and/or CP cases.
* At least three years’ experience post‑qualifying.
* Willingness to work towards a Practice Educator Qualification.
* A strong commitment to uphold the standards and values of the social work profession.
* Evidence of continuing professional development with good knowledge in relevant professional areas and a commitment to evidence‑based practice.
* Significant practical experience working with families with multiple and complex needs.
* Effective communication skills, good problem‑solving and assessment skills, with a demonstrable track record of building and sustaining positive professional relationships with individuals and families with multiple and complex needs.
* Experience of applying a solution‑focused approach and providing practical advice and support to families to enable them to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.
* Ability to work in partnership with others to maximise outcomes for families in line with the Family Solutions operating principles.
* Ability to work independently and as part of a team, and to use supervision appropriately.
Mobility Requirements
Mobile throughout a wider operational area, including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and able to do so in an emergency. A driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.
Benefits
Flexible working options, support for unpaid carers, and additional employee benefits are available as part of employment with Essex County Council.
Equal Opportunities
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. All veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements of the role will also be interviewed. We are committed to interview all applicants who meet the minimum requirements of the role and to provide reasonable adjustments where necessary.
If you have queries about this role or require any further information, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.
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