Part Time Community Support Worker

This is a part time role, offering 28 hours per week. Possible working patterns to be discussed at interview.

Interview Date: W/C the 18th August 2025. 

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 2^nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

This vacancy can accommodate a newly qualified social worker.

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 the 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. 

Working with Social Workers and Personal Advisers, you will deliver bespoke interventions, in accordance with pathway planning, to care leavers who are becoming or who have become parents. You will be required to manage a caseload, assessing risk through direct work, and helping individuals reach their full parenting potential. You will coordinate a peer support network for care leaver parents and support them to access parenting and baby groups in their local communities. 

With relevant experience of working with young people or care leavers, or educated to Level 3 (RQF). You will be passionate about engaging with and providing support in the community.

Accountabilities

• Work with the social worker or personal adviser to assess parenting needs and provide support to care leavers, to enable them to live independently, focussing on supporting individuals to build networks and access services within their local communities.
• Contribute to the development of pathway plans which meet each individual’s parenting needs.
• Work collaboratively with others, including health visitors, midwives, and social care, to support the individual to thrive as a confident new parent.
• Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy, and guidance and to act on behalf of the Social Care Directorate in fulfilling statutory responsibilities under the Children Act 1989, the Children Leaving Care Act 2000, and The Children and Social Work Act 2018.
• Responsible for highlighting issues and working with social workers to safeguard individual care leavers and their children.
• Build strong, effective relationships with care leavers providing practical advice, support, and empowering young people to make decisions in their lives and to self-advocate.
• Work collaboratively across the service, with internal and external partner agencies to deliver objectives and ensure improved outcomes for care leaver parents.
• Provide information and advice in relation to accessing third party agencies relevant to the needs of the young person (e.g. benefits, mental health support, and housing).
• Attend meetings as required by the Line Manager and coordinate peer support sessions, to provide information, insight, and guidance.

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, such as housing, employment, care or leaving care.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with young people.
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity based work with young people.
• Knowledge of legislative and policy guidance applicable within Social Care settings.
• Be able to work as part of a team and be flexible with an ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Familiarity with the principles of the Children’s Act 1989 and the Children Leaving Care Act 2000 and Children and Social Work Act 2018.

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

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working  | About Us  | Organisation Behaviours