Support Worker - Young People with Disabilities

Location

Colchester, Essex | United Kingdom

Job description

Support Worker – Young People with Disabilities

Fixed Term, Full Time

£23,456 to £29,933 per annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style:  Community-based worker

Please note that this is a fixed term contract / secondment opportunity for a period of 12 months.

Working days and hours are Monday – Thursday 9am to 5:30pm and Friday 9am - 4:30pm.

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 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 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. 

Support Workers work within frontline teams to support the delivery of effective Children’s Social Work. Undertaking a range of direct activity, one to one or groupwork providing practical, personal and emotional support that meets the assessed needs, promotes improved health, physical, mental and social development. 

Educated to Level 3 (NVQ or BTEC is desirable) or with activity based alternative experience, in a social care setting and experience of building strong effective relationships. 

Accountabilities

• Responsible for supporting social workers and occupational therapists to undertake activity and interventions, 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 Children’s Social Care.
• Responsible for highlighting issues and implementing plans to safeguard a child.
• 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.
• Contributes to meetings, reviews, (case conferences and court hearings as appropriate to the service) to provide information which builds understanding of the child’s needs.
• Record work and activity in accordance with Children & Families policies and procedures, including case records on Mosaic.
• Work collaboratively across the service, with internal and external professional partner agencies to contribute to the overall work and success of the team and ensure improved outcomes for children and families.
• Deliver support in accordance with the plan, as agreed by the case holding Social Worker where appropriate, this will normally be time limited, with measureable impact. 

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential:

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A Level/NVQ/BTEC) or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and in-depth knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with children and families in times of challenge and crisis.
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity based and group work with children and families. 

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues impacting children, young people and families, leading them to require support.
• Knowledge of Children’s Act 1989 and 2004, Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and other legislative and policy guidance applicable within Social Care settings.
• Proven track record of working with partners and external agencies.

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.

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

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.

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 

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

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

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Salary

£23.46k - £29.93k per annum