Join to apply for the Family Worker (Link Role) role at Essex County Council
About The Role
Family Worker (Link Role) – Permanent, Full Time
Location: Rayleigh
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: Wednesday 5th November 2025 at 11.59pm
Interview Date: 17th and / or 18th November 2025
Essex County Council is committed to high-quality practice and invests in our workforce. We have received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row. To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families.
The Opportunity
Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity, and compassion; promoting the development and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working with partners, we deliver a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers, and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future. Family Solutions was established across Essex to work holistically with families with multiple and complex needs to enable them to make significant changes and improvements to their lives. The Family Worker (Link Role) is a key role in the service providing advice and support with regard to their thematic area and coordinating the provision of support from other services.
Accountabilities
* Determine the direction and actions required to progress cases on a day-to-day basis; recognise when key decisions regarding risks/concerns need to be referred to the Team Manager or Practice Supervisor.
* Act as a source of advice, guidance, and support to colleagues in relation to the thematic role; support case discussions, mentor and guide colleagues.
* Undertake holistic assessments of family needs to help create family intervention plans and identify how outcomes can be achieved that 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.
* Undertake individual and group programmes of work to enable children and families to develop skills to resolve issues; provide information and empower 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 family outcomes.
* Participate in regular supervision to review work and ensure effective interventions for families.
* Ensure that the principles of effective practice are embedded in service delivery; work collaboratively with staff and partners to ensure effective risk management in line with the Effective Support and Guidance document and SET child protection procedures.
* Engage in annual appraisals with objectives defined within the performance management framework.
The Experience You Will Bring
* Educated to degree level preferred but minimum NVQ level 4 or equivalent by experience in relevant thematic specialism (e.g., Domestic Abuse, Substance Misuse, Education, Mental Health, and Parenting). One post in each team requires a social work qualification and HCPC registration.
* Evidence of continuing professional development with knowledge in relevant professional areas and commitment to evidence-based practice.
* Significant practical experience of working with families with multiple and complex needs.
* Effective communication, problem solving and assessment skills with a track record of building and sustaining positive relationships with individuals and families with complex needs.
* Experience of applying a solution-focused approach and providing practical advice and support to families to achieve positive 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, using supervision appropriately.
Why Essex?
Essex offers a dynamic public service environment with flexible working options and a focus on innovation. We are committed to transformational change and delivering value. Essex County Council is a Disability Confident Leader and is committed to interviewing disabled applicants who meet minimum requirements, with reasonable adjustments available. We are also committed to interviewing veterans and care leavers who meet minimum requirements.
Benefits include support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements. We ask applicants to embrace our code of conduct and Nolan principles during recruitment and in the workplace.
The role requires mobility around a wider operational area including travel around Essex and beyond, transporting service users and belongings. A driving licence and access to a car (or alternative mobility solutions) are essential.
DBS information: If your role requires a DBS check, you will need to register with the DBS update service (annual subscription). Further information is available at the DBS update service website.
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 opportunities, join The Essex Talent Community. For queries, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk. Follow us on social media or visit our careers page for more details.
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