Locum cfs social worker, cic mid

Locum CFS Social Worker, CIC Mid

Temporary (3 months), Full Time

£225 PAYE / £288 Umbrella

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 15th June 2026

This temporary role (3 months, full time) supports our Children in Care team in Mid Essex.

We’re looking for someone with experience in Court Work, including preparing Court Reports, Care Planning, and occasionally supporting the adoption process.

Ideal candidates possess the following qualities:

• A strong communicator – able to build relationships and clearly present information.
• Analytical and insightful – confident in assessing situations and identifying risks of significant harm.
• Organised and deadline-driven – able to manage competing priorities and deliver high‑quality work on time.
• Decisive and responsible – understands safeguarding and takes appropriate action when needed.

What Sets Us Apart:

Unwavering Support: Our experienced managers provide top‑notch supervision and daily ad‑hoc support to enable you to excel.

A Systemic Approach: We work in a systemic perspective, addressing the broader challenges our children and young people face.

Strengths and Trauma‑Informed Practice: We empower social workers to make a genuine difference through strengths‑based, relationship‑based, and trauma‑informed practice.

Top‑Notch Training: The Essex Social Care Academy (ESCA) provides outstanding training and development opportunities.

What You’ll Do:

Work with children and young people up to 18 who need support. Visit them in placement, develop permanency plans (including Special Guardianship Orders and adoption), and use life‑story work to help them understand their care journey. For some, your support may help them return home to their birth family.

Requirements:

• You’ll need a diploma or degree in social work and at least 3 years of post‑qualifying experience.
• You must be registered with Social Work England as a Social Worker.
• You should demonstrate capability in practice, following the Professional Capability Framework (PCF) and Knowledge & Skills Statement (KSS). You should excel in case recording and manage complex social and family situations.
• Proficiency with Word and social work case recording systems is required.
• Flexibility is key – you may need to work evenings and weekends when necessary.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area, including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, and to transport service users and their belongings in emergencies. A driving licence and access to a car or alternative transport means is essential.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’ll interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements and may provide reasonable adjustments.

We’re also committed to interview allveteransandcare leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

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.

Off‑payroll working rules apply to this assignment. Where a worker elects to provide services through an intermediary, income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source.

As part of employment with Essex County Council, if your role requires a DBS check you’ll be required to register with the DBS update service. We rely on the annual subscription to keep certificates up‑to‑date. For further information, see https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

For queries about this role or to obtain further information, email essexsharedservices@essex.gov.uk.