Family Worker Link Role - Secondment / Fixed Term Contract
Fixed Term, Full Time
£27,816 to £32,076 per annum - pay award pending
Location: Colchester
Working Style: Community-based worker
Please note that this opportunity is being offered as a Secondment / Fixed Term Contract for a period of 12 months.
Interviews will take place on the 28th March 2023 in our Colchester office.
Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!
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 together with partners delivering 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.
There is ‘No Magic’ to it, click here to see why
Family Solutions
Family Solutions is an Early Help service in Essex working holistically with disadvantage families, with multiple difficulties to enable them to make significant changes and improvements to their lives. Family Solutions works under the umbrella of children’s social care.
An exciting opportunity has arisen in the highly performing North team. The team is based in Colchester and covers the surrounding areas. The successful candidate will need to travel independently across this area by car.
The North team is extremely supportive. The post holder will be supervised by an experienced manager or senior social worker. Family Workers will also utilise support from colleagues who have specialisms in different areas.
The post holder will be expected to operate flexibly, working out of normal office hours when required
The work of a Link Family Worker is complex, sometimes challenging, but always varied and rewarding. Key aspects of the work include:
- Working closely with families to build strong relationships with all family members.
- Promoting positive change with families.
- Provide both practical and specialist advice as well acting as a lead coordinator for additional support services where appropriate.
- Managing your own caseload
- Managing safeguarding risks to children
- Taking the lead on an area of professional practice for the team through supporting team members and liaising with professionals outside of Family Solutions.
- Ability to have difficult conversations, problem solve and think creatively is crucial.
- A high standard of written work in line with our timescales and processes.
The Experience You Will Bring
- Educated to degree level preferred but minimum NVQ level 4 or equivalent by experience in relevant thematic specialism i.e. Domestic Abuse, Substance Misuse, Education, Mental Health, and Parenting.
- Experience and knowledge of the current issues pertaining to child and adolescent Mental Health currently and how to access support.
- Significant practical experience of 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.
The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.
To read more about us please visit: Children & Families
Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video here
The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.
Why Essex?
Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.
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.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
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 relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here.
If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk
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