Community Support Worker

The Opportunity 

ECC Adult Social Care is making a transformational shift from a focus on long-term care support, to a model with four key principles: prevention, early intervention, enablement, and safeguarding. Enabling people, to access information and tools, to live independently and allowing a positive response to growing service demand in a sustainable way, within the financial constraints of ECC.  

Working with Social Workers and Occupational Therapists, delivering bespoke intervention work, in accordance with the care plan, to vulnerable adults. The role may be required to manage a caseload, including assessment of risk through direct work, within a quality assurance process. A focus of the role will be to ensure vulnerable people are safeguarded in line with ECC’s statutory obligations. 

With relevant experience of working with vulnerable adults or educated to Level 3 (RQF). You will be passionate about engaging with and providing support in the community, working with partners as required. 

Accountabilities 

• Assess social care needs and provide support to vulnerable adults, to enable them to live healthily and independently; maintaining high standards of professional practice which contribute to continuous improvement across the service and delivering the four key principles.
• Contribute to the development of care and support plans that gain commitment to solutions to meet each individual’s needs.
• Works collaboratively with others, including placement team, to support the individual to commission care and support from appropriate providers; including developing their own employees through Direct Payments.
• Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached in In line with legislative and organisational standards within the Care Act 2015 (e.g., MCA / DoLs / CHC etc.).
• Responsible for highlighting issues and implementing plans to safeguard a vulnerable adult.
• Building strong, effective relationships with clients, families and carers providing practical advice, support and, where necessary, acting as an advocate. Enabling vulnerable adults to live healthily and as independently as possible.
• Work collaboratively across the service, with internal and external professional partner agencies to deliver joint objectives and ensure improved outcomes for vulnerable adults.
• Provides information and advice in relation to involvement/accessing of third party agencies relevant to the needs of the client (e.g., benefits agencies, immigration, and housing).
• Attends meetings, reviews, case conferences and court hearings to provide information, insight, and evidence, providing reports where appropriate.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework. 

The Experience You Will Bring 

• Experience within a social care setting, an NVQ/BTEC Level 3 or equivalent is desirable.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with adults, their families, and carers in times of challenge and crisis.
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity based work with adults.
• Knowledge of legislative and policy guidance applicable within Social Care settings.
• Proven track record of building working relationships with partners and external agencies.
• A certificate in First Aid and/or knowledge of Sign Language is desirable in this role. 

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.

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 daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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