Key Worker – Young Carers

Essex County Council; Colchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a Key Worker - Young Carers in Colchester to join the North East Essex quadrant and support young carers aged 0-18 and young adult carers 16-24. The role is fixed term for up to 9 months, community-based, with a requirement to be mobile across the area and a driving licence is essential.

You will work to identify priorities, coordinate support plans, and collaborate with families and partner agencies to promote education, employment or training opportunities.

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent with a relevant professional qualification focussed on working with young people.
• Experience of working with children and/or young people.
• Ability to take responsibility for lone working and managing calendar/working hours.
• Flexible professional approach to meet needs of young people and service.
• Broad understanding of issues affecting young carers and young people.
• Experience of working with young people on a one to one basis and in groups.
• Excellent communication skills with experience in effective collaborative working with other agencies.
• Experience of involving young people and families in decision-making processes.

Responsibilities

• Work with Essex young carers and their families to identify priorities, support needs, interventions and goals, developing and implementing strategies for securing these.
• Take up referrals and work with Essex young carers to identify, understand and meet their needs, emphasising positive outcomes.
• Work with Essex young carers in line with the agreed model, ensuring the level of support meets identified need including one to one support, peer group support, telephone support, advocacy, information, signposting, training opportunities and workshops.
• Promote young carers self- awareness, confidence and encourage their involvement in designing and evaluating the service.
• Provide targeted outreach and awareness raising activities to other agencies to support identification of Essex young carers.
• Pro-actively work with other agencies to ensure ongoing support during transitions and enable education, employment or training.
• Support the development and facilitation of Essex young carers networks and forums to ensure their voice is heard.
• Ensure Essex County Council policies and safeguarding procedures are implemented.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Organisation

Driving licence

Young carers knowledge

Education

GCSE or equivalent

Youth/Social care qualification

Job description

About The Role

Key Worker - Young Carers

Fixed Term, Full Time

£25,959 to £28,621 per annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 10th September 2026

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

This is a fixed term contract / secondment opportunity for up to 9 months.

Do you have a passion for working with Young Carers, able to organise and manage your workload, good at communicating and able to work as part of a team.

We are seeking a district based Key Worker to work within our North East Essex quadrant team to support Young Carers (aged 0-18), young adult carers (16-24) and their families. You will provide individualised support in relation to their caring role, to raise achievement and aspirations and to allow them to have the same life chances as their peers.

Responsibilities:

• Work with Essex young carers and their families to identify priorities, support needs, interventions and goals, developing and implementing strategies for securing these. Using assessment and monitoring to motivate young carers and their families to achieve a shared and mutually agreed support plan/ contract
• Take up referrals and work with Essex young carers in order to identify, understand and meet their needs, with an emphasis on promoting positive outcomes.
• Work with Essex young carers in line with the agreed model, ensuring that the level of support meets the identified need including one to one support, peer group support, telephone support, advocacy, provision of information, signposting, training opportunities and workshops.
• Promote young carers self- awareness, confidence and encouraging their involvement in the design of their young carers service and supporting them in evaluating the impact of the service upon their own situation.
• Provide targeted outreach and awareness raising activities to other agencies to support the increased identification of Essex young carers including presentations, workshops and events.
• Pro-actively work in partnership with other agencies including educational settings and adult services to ensure ongoing support to young carers, particularly at points of transition and to enable Essex young carers to continue their education, employment or training.
• Support the development and facilitation of Essex young carers networks and forums to ensure that the voice of young carers is heard and that they are in a position to be able to shape and influence the service.
• Ensure that the Essex County Council policies, procedures and practice for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people are implemented.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent with a relevant professional qualification which is focussed on working with young people (e.g. LDSS, Social work, Youth and Community, Teacher, Careers) or equivalent or demonstrably equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with children and/or young people
• Ability to take responsibility for lone working and managing calendar/working hours.
• Flexible professional approach to meet needs of young people and service
• A broad understanding of the issues affecting young carers and young people, opportunities for learning and the services provided by the partner organisations.
• Experience of working with young people on a one to one basis and in groups.
• Excellent communication skills with experience in effective collaborative working with other agencies at a local level.
• Experience of successfully involving young people and families in decision-making processes.

To read more about us please visit: Education

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

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