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Child and Family Support Worker

Permanent, Part Time

£23,456 to £29,933 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 9th July 2023

Please note that this role is a part time role working 22 hours a week over 3 days.

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!

The Role:

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda – one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We’re immensely proud of our flexible working options.

The Opportunity:

The primary role for the Child and Family Support Worker based within the Supervised Family Time service is to supervise, support and facilitate contact/family time sessions primarily between children who are looked after by the local authority and their birth families. Child and family support workers work in conjunction with social workers to deliver a quality support service with the child/young person and their family members/carers. This may incorporate aspects of targeted intervention work which supports the overall assessment and case planning for the family. On occasions the post holder’s role may also include work within frontline teams to support the delivery of effective children’s Social Work.

The post holder will undertake activities directly with children, young people and families providing practical, personal and emotional support that meets the assessed needs and promotes improved health, physical, mental and social development and well-being.

The role involves working collaboratively across other frontline services, including assessment and intervention; family support and protection; children in care; fostering; and children and young people with disabilities. The work can be complex, demanding and emotionally challenging and the post holder is required to work with dedication and resilience.

Accountabilities:

• Undertake activity and interventions as agreed by the case holding social worker, which support the plan for the child, young person and family, including supervised contact activity
• Build strong, effective relationships with the child, young person and family which support relationship and strengths based social work practice.
• Maintain high standards of professionalism which contribute to the level of confidence in Essex County Council’s children’s social care services
• Liaise and work collaboratively with internal and external professional partner agencies as relevant to the case (eg. occupational therapy, schools, health, mental health), to gather accurate information that informs assessment and decisions about the plan for the child
• Provide information and advice in relation to involvement/accessing of third-party agencies relevant to the needs of the child, young person and family (e.g. benefits agencies, immigration, housing), where necessary acting as an advocate
• Be a source of practical advice and support, enabling the child, young person and family to build their capability to sustain change and function effectively within the community
• Attend meetings, reviews, case conferences and court hearings (as directed by the case holding social worker) to provide information, insight and evidence which builds a comprehensive and rounded understanding of the child’s needs
• Record work and activity in accordance with Children and Families policies and procedures, including case records on Mosaic
• Work collaboratively with other child and family support workers, social workers and managers to contribute to the overall work and success of the team, and to ensure improved outcomes for children

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• NVQ/BTEC Level 3 or equivalent.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with children, young people and families in times of challenge and crisis.
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity-based work with children, young people and families.
• Knowledge and understanding of the issues impacting children, young people and families, and that led to them requiring support.
• Knowledge of Children Act 1989 and 2004 and other legislative and policy guidance applicable within Children’s Social Care.
• Desirable - First Aid Certificate/ Ability to Sign Language.
• Excellent communication and report writing skills.

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 the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

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 proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found on https://www.workingforessex.com/benefits

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.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.

If you have any queries regarding this role, or require anything further, please contact [email protected]

[ECC logo]/[Joint ECC logo]

[Children & Families] In ECC we are “Serious about Social Work”. Having recently won the Best Social Work Employer of the Year Award 2018 and been awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted this is an exciting time to join us. As if that wasn’t enough, Essex has also been announced as a Partner in Practice by the Department of Education, and the Essex Social Care Academy (ESCA) is the only Local Authority team in the country to be accredited by BASW as a CPD provider.We have invested in our workforce and created a positive environment for our social workers to make a difference and achieve change for our most vulnerable children and families through direct relationship-based social work practice. We have supported our staff to have an understanding of systemic theoretical framework and models underpinning our interventions; to have access to the right tools, equipment and resources; and also the right supervision, training and learning opportunities they need to be strong practitioners.