Adults Social Worker - Learning Disability & Autism
Fixed Term / Secondment, Full Time
£38,487 to £51,834 per annum
Location: Chelmsford, Braintree & Maldon
Working Style:
This is a 12 month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity.
We’re an adult social care service that wants to see citizens of Essex have as much choice and control over the way they live their lives as possible. We think everyone should have the chance to live a full and fulfilling life with people they love and care about, doing things that matter to them and living in a place they can call home. We’re determined that with the right support, everyone can maintain or achieve some independence and we’re proud to be working to make these ambitions a reality.
Our Social Workers work alongside people and their families and carers to help them think through what might help them get on with their lives in the way that works best for them. We do this within the framework of our statutory Care Act requirements. This means many of our conversations are framed as ‘assessments’, ‘reviews’, ‘support planning’ and ‘safeguarding’. But our aim is always to listen and understand what matters to the person and then to work with them to think through how this might be achieved.
The Team
We are looking for passionate and experienced Social Workers to join our busy high performing focus team for adults with a learning disability and/or autism.
Working with community groups, family and carers you will ensure advocacy for people with learning disability and/or autism. We take a person-centred approach to practice and support adults with achieving their goals and ambitions, while also meeting their social care needs. This is achieved through direct work, multi-disciplinary approaches, collaboration and building local community links.
The team are friendly and look to creative community solutions and early help alongside complex interventions and safeguarding adults. We are a dynamic team, working together to bring positive outcomes and ideas to life. The achievements within the team truly make a difference to the lives of the people we work with and take a step towards changing the opportunities and outcomes for adults in our local community.
This role offers hybrid working, with an expectation to be office based at County Hall in Chelmsford around 2 to 3 days per week depending on business need for collaborative team working and training.
About You
If you share our vision, enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories you might be interested to find out more about what we do.
If you’re also a Social Worker post ASYE registered with Social Work England with that winning combination of creative thought, reliability and practical ability to get things done, we’d really love to hear from you!
You’ll have a broad understanding of our statutory responsibilities and a commitment to meeting these in a person-centred way.
You may have experience of chairing meetings, and you’ll have an ability to develop strong relationships with partner agencies and the local community to provide a supportive framework.
Our Social Worker roles involve travelling around Essex. A driving licence and car - or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means - is essential.
Sorry – we are unable to consider Newly Qualified Social Worker’s for this role however you can register your interest for future NQSW opportunities in Mid Essex .
Why Join Us?
In June 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated our Adult Social Care services as “Good” with a score of 73%
“The local authority had a good structure and processes in place to enable people to be supported successfully, and support people to remain independent and live healthy lives. The workforce was passionate about supporting people to achieve these outcomes and the local authority had good knowledge of their area, the people living there and the demographics.”
You can read the full report on the CQC website
1. and about the LGPS.
2. Volunteering leave
3. 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising with service
4. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - access to free and confidential information, support, and guidance from a team of highly qualified professionals.
5. Employee Networks – communities to support you, connect you and help influence change at ECC
6. Payment of your Social Work England registration fees!
Whatever you want to achieve in your social work career, you can do it here.
*T&Cs Apply.
For more information
In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about ) on our careers site
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.
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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