Fostering Assessment and Recruitment Social Worker

Essex County Council; Essex; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a Fostering Assessment and Recruitment Social Worker to work countywide on a full-time basis. The role involves completing initial home visits, conducting assessments of potential foster carers and their children, and delivering recruitment events across the county.

The role requires strong communication, relationship-building with partners, and the ability to manage duty carryovers including some evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• A recognised social work qualification (degree, CQSW, CSS or equivalent) with registration with Social Work England.
• Experience in social work with challenging family situations.
• Ability to develop strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills and ability to engage diverse groups.
• Ability to balance safeguarding with value for money interventions.

Responsibilities

• Undertake initial home visits and assess prospective foster carers.
• Deliver training and facilitate recruitment events.
• Cover duty as required, including evenings and weekends.
• Work within statutory legal frameworks and determine thresholds for intervention.
• Collaborate with internal/external partners to support children and families.

Skills

Strong communication

Rapport building

Relationship building

Value for money

Decision making

Education

Social work qualification

Job description

About The Role

Fostering Assessment and Recruitment Social Worker Permanent, Full Time

£38,487 to £51,834 per annum

Location: Countywide

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 5th 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

The Role

This is a great countywide opportunity to work with potential new foster carers across Essex. The role entails completing initial home visits, undertaking assessments, delivering training, and facilitating recruitment events.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

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

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.

Social workers manage a defined caseload, including assessment of risk and purposeful intervention through direct relationship-based work and review. Delivering excellent practice and value for money services.

A registered social worker, educated to degree level, with ability to demonstrate practice in accordance with current professional standards. Experienced in developing strong working relationships with partners, other agencies, and stakeholders to deliver improved outcomes.

Accountabilities

This team is countywide and the role entails undertaking initial home visits, assessing prospective foster carers, and working with their birth children, with opportunities to provide training. Participating in and facilitating face to face recruitment events and covering duty when required. This includes some evening and weekends.

• Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached.
• Work collaboratively, building effective relationships with internal and external partnerships and stakeholders and the voluntary sector, to assist children and their families and carers in gaining support.
• Develop a child centred approach which enables early intervention and prevention and increases independence.
• Pro-actively influences in a range of inter-agency planning, decision making and case discussions.
• Communicate assessments and professional judgements clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing.
• Work with families, communities, and individuals to help people get the best start in life and age well, supporting strategic aims.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or Masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current registration with Social Work England as a registered social worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Experience within a social work setting with evidence of challenging social and family situations.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to develop a rapport and engage with diverse groups of individuals.
• Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies, and the local community, to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children and families.
• Understand delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
• Evidence of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

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 in Everyone'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.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

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.

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

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.

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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