Overview
Social Worker - Family Finding, Adoption North Essex – Permanent, Full Time
Location: Colchester | Working Style: Operational field-based
Salary: £34,902 to £50,081 per annum
Department: Children and Families
What you’ll do
* Assess complex social care needs, offering crucial support to children and families.
* Provide and deliver comprehensive plans for direct work with children to prepare them for a move to an adoptive placement.
* Work closely with birth families to provide support and guidance in relation to adoption.
* Attend adoption craft and profiling events, some of which will happen at weekends, to support with family finding for children.
* Work closely with our partners within the Adopt East Alliance.
* Engage directly with young children, facilitating a deep understanding of their care plans.
* Prepare children for adoption placements through personalised direct work.
* Develop adoption support plans that empower families and build resilience.
* Navigate the statutory legal framework, ensuring timely intervention when needed.
* Collaborate with internal and external partners, stakeholders, and the voluntary sector to provide comprehensive support.
* Conduct assessments and plan responses to safeguard children and promote their welfare.
* Champion a child-centred approach, emphasising early intervention and prevention.
* Influence inter-agency planning and decision-making to proactively shape positive outcomes.
* Communicate assessments and professional judgments clearly, both orally and in writing.
* Work with families, communities, and individuals to support strategic aims and promote well-being.
* Manage individual and shared targets within the performance management framework.
Your experience
* A recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
* Continued professional development aligned with relevant competency frameworks.
* Experience in challenging social and family situations within a social work setting.
* Strong communication skills with adults and children, building rapport with diverse groups.
* Direct work experience with children, showcasing your ability to connect on a personal level.
* Proven ability to manage competing demands, meeting required deadlines.
* Establishing strong relationships with partners, agencies, and the local community.
* Understanding the value-for-money delivery of interventions balanced against need.
* Clear decision-making skills to highlight and mitigate potential risks associated with intervention.
Additional information
The role requires mobility across a wider operational area, including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings. Driving licence and car or ability to meet mobility requirements by other means is essential.
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.
Essex County Council is a Disability Confident Leader and is committed to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements, and to interview all veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
DBS update service information is available; if required, you will be asked to register with the DBS update service (annual subscription).
For queries, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.
EEO and additional notes
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.
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