Duty Senior Practitioner (Assessment Team South)

Working for Essex; Basildon; Presencial; GBP 48.000 - 58.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Essex County Council is seeking a Duty Senior Practitioner to oversee the Duty Tray, triage cases, and support the Team Manager with threshold decisions across the Assessment Team South. You will chair Strategy Meetings, mentor less experienced social workers, and lead on complex Child in Need processes.

Opportunities for professional development and service improvement are highlighted. You will bring a Diploma in Social Work or equivalent, with practice educator qualification and Social Work

Formación

• Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
• Must have a practice educator qualification.
• Social Work England Registration as a registered Social Worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• IT/Word Processing Skills.

Responsabilidades

• Oversee the Duty Tray and allocations into the Team; triage cases and make threshold decisions with the Team Manager.
• Chair telephone Strategy Meetings; co-work on complex cases with less experienced social workers.
• Chair more complex Child in Need Meetings and Discharge Planning meetings.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to newly qualified staff; deputise for Team Manager when needed.
• Lead review of child in need plans prior to closure and contribute to service development.

Conocimientos

Leadership

Mentoring

Case triage

Strategy meetings

Communication

Educación

Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent

Practice educator qualification

Social Work England Registration

Herramientas

IT/WP Skills

Descripción del empleo

Duty Senior Practitioner (Assessment Team South)

Permanent, Full Time

£48,205 up to £57,988 per annum

Location: Basildon

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 18th November 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

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 having received our 3rd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

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

Assessment and Intervention (A&I)

These teams are the gateway through which children, young people, parents/carers and other agencies gain access to Children and Families services. Assessment and Intervention undertakes incoming assessments and short-term intervention work with families; working with children from pre-birth up to a child’s 18th birthday.

They focus on children in need (CIN) and their families, offering three months’ intervention. They also deal with S47 child protection enquiries and work jointly with the police and other partners in assessing immediate risk for children that come to our attention. A&I primarily transfer cases into Family Support and Protection Teams should families require longer-term intervention, or if the children become subject to a child protection plan or come into care of the local authority. If following an assessment and brief intervention the family do not require a social work service, they could be stepped down to Family Solutions as part of our Early Help Offer.

The Role

As a Senior Practitioner you will oversee the Duty Tray and allocations into the Team triaging cases and making threshold decisions alongside the Team Manager. Additionally Chairing telephone Strategy Meetings, co-working complex cases with less experienced social workers and chairing more complex Child in Need Meetings, and Discharge Planning meetings.

You will provide leadership in the team, providing both support and mentoring to newly qualified or less experienced staff and deputising for the Team Manager when needed. You will oversee the review of some child in need plans particularly prior to closure and will have responsibility to lead in a practice area.

There will be opportunities for your own professional development and for being part of developing our team and service. There is an ethos of openness to the development of new ideas, particularly to reinforce our relationship-based focus, both with our service users and within the staff group.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
• Must have a practice educator qualification. Experience of supporting and mentoring ASYE's through their first year in practice.
• Social Work England Registration as a registered Social Worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• IT/Word Processing Skills.
• Evidence of recent practice at an experienced social worker level, supported by comprehensive working knowledge and experience within the field of practice in Children Services.
• Preferably with experience of Child Protection work including section 47 investigations and assessments since the implementation of the Children’s Act 1989.Considerable, recent experience of communicating with children of all ages and working in partnership with parents and/or carers.
• Experience in planning activities and programmes for children, young people and parents.
• Experience of Court work in relation to Child Care matters and have an understanding of the legal process.
• Detailed knowledge of current legislation pertinent to Child Protection (e.g. CA1989, CJA1991), Guidance and Regulations.
• Knowledge and understanding of child development, relating theory and practice.

To read more about us please visit

Children & Families: https://www.workingforessex.com/role/children-families

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?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters inEveryone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

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 allveteransandcare 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 theNolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

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.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please [e-mail]

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