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 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.

We offer excellent training for our social workers, and as an organisation we span the county, providing a committed approach to practice development. The Family Support and Protection team are supportive and willing to go above and beyond to help further your career.

Have you ever been interested in how Family Support and Protection’s social work practice differs from other teams?

We currently have a number of vacancies in our Family Support & Protection team in our West Quadrant (Harlow) for both experienced and newly qualified individuals who are looking to work within our team.

We offer fantastic opportunities for newly qualified social workers. One of our NQSW’s said “The FS&P team have been really supportive when I have moved from student to my ASYE role. You can go to anyone in the team if you need support and everyone is friendly and welcoming. The training is expansive and interesting and helpful for the work. You are encouraged to work and think systemically when working with families which means you can be really creative in how you support families support change.”

“I joined FS&P West October 2021 after being in A&I. FS&P is like one big family, although there are 3 teams in West all the teams merge together and support one another. Managers are always available for support and guidance and are good at promoting our development” One of our social workers wrote, our positive working environment allows us to deliver a caring service.

We hope that we can provide a close-knit and caring community within our work, one of our family support workers noted: “Because I was coming in as a support worker and not a social worker, I did not know how much people would include me or use me. However, everyone has been very welcoming and I have been very involved with some cases, the social workers have shared their knowledge and I have felt included in the cases and part of the team. I feel I am trusted and others have said this role is valuable and needed. Which has more confident and valued within the role I do. I feel this from all 3 teams not just the team I am assigned to.”

We spoke with one of our Newly Qualified Social Workers, who said: “Since joining FS&P, I have been welcomed and supported by the whole service/teams. The team and managers have been very supportive and have helped me to settle in well and feel part of the team. The induction process was smooth in regards to receiving equipment, meeting colleagues and completing training.” We welcome newly trained staff and aim to provide them with support to further their experience and careers.

Consider a career in social work with us. We are currently looking for:

• Newly Qualified Social Workers, salary £28,592 per annum (rising to £32,065 per annum after completion of ASYE)
• Qualified Social Workers, salary £32,065 to £43,839 per annum
• Senior Practitioners, salary £40,637 to £49,183 per annum

To find more job opportunities within Essex County Council, please see the below options:

• Our Talent Pool is a great way to find the perfect job for you – you can find this here.
• The search and apply section of our Working for Essex site is also a great way to find roles.