Social Worker – Woodlands Family Centre, West Essex

Fixed Term, Full Time

£38,487 to £51,834 per annum

Location: Harlow

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 8th November 2026

Interview Date: 23rd November 2026 

This is a 12 -18 month Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunity 

Woodlands Family Centre is looking for a dynamic social worker, keen to build on existing skills and knowledge in undertaking high-quality assessment and interventions with children and their families. Interventions might be undertaken on a one-to-one basis or within groups, to support children and their families to achieve positive change and improved outcomes. An ability to build positive and supportive relationships with parents and colleagues is therefore key to this role.

Working in Essex Family Centres will provide the successful candidate with a wide range of experiences, including developing assessment and intervention skills across a broad spectrum of practice areas, for example, parenting assessments, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, sibling relationships, trauma informed practice, working with children with sexually harmful behaviours and assessing and supporting parents with learning needs.

At Woodlands Family Centres we are innovative and creative in our practice and actively seek to develop effective services through project work, we are on a mission to create a brighter future for children, young people and their families, through providing support and interventions needed to protect and empower those who need it most. If you are passionate about making a difference in children’s lives, we want to hear from you!

Our Family Centres

Family Centres

Whilst social workers within frontline teams have excellent skills in delivering social work interventions with children and their families, they often do not have the time to undertaken intensive or extended work, so this is where Essex Family Centres aim to support.

Family Centres undertake most court directed parenting assessments as well as those under PLO and provide bespoke packages of change work, which target specific areas of risk and need as identified within the assessment.

Interventions are targeted at supporting parents to understand and make changes in partnership, in order to reduce statutory involvement. Where change is not achieved, the reasons for this are considered and recommendations made.

The Role of Social Workers

As a social worker, you will be the driving force behind family transformations. You will take on a caseload that includes assessments, targeted interventions, and even group work, all aimed at delivering positive outcomes for children. Your responsibility is to deliver sensitive, supportive and inspiring social work practice, bringing your A-game and adhering to the highest standards of practice whilst staying in sync with our established policies and procedures.

Qualifications and Skills

• Diploma or degree in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent
• Registration with Social Work England as registered Social Worker
• Demonstrable capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards e.g. Professional Capability Framework (PCF), Knowledge & Skills Statement (KSS)
• Case recording
• Demonstrate ability in the application of SW knowledge, using emotional intelligence, analytical skills and act with confidence in challenging social and family situations.
• A good working knowledge and ability to use information technology and related systems e.g. Word, SW case recording systems
• Required to work flexibly as required, including evenings and weekends if necessary
• At least 2 years post qualifying experience
• An excellent ability to communicate verbally and in writing.

Join us, and together, we’ll build a brighter future for the families who need it most. Your skills and compassion will be the key to unlocking their potential.

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

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

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 are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. 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 March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, 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 resourcing.team@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