Advanced Skills Worker
Permanent, Full Time
£34,386 to £40,065 per annum (including allowance)
Location: Colchester
Working Style: Fixed-base worker
Closing Date: Sunday 15th February 2026 at 11.59pm
Interview Dates: W/C the 9th of March 2026.
Are you interested in working with children and young people to make a difference in their lives? If so, then this could be the right opportunity for you.
It is an exciting time to join Essex County Council as we invest in and expand our residential provision and not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!
Why work with us?
- 26 days annual leave (Full Time Equivalent) plus bank holidays (normally 8 days per year).
- 37 hour working week. Monday to Sunday, over a mixture of early (7am – 2.30pm) and late shifts (2pm – 9.30pm) with every other weekend off.
- Opportunity for overtime.
- Local Authority Defined Benefit Pension Scheme. For more details please visit: https://www.essexpensionfund.co.uk/
- Use your skills to make a difference to the lives of local children and families who experience difficulties and inequalities
- Work for a team with great team morale and friendly, helpful, and supportive colleagues.
- Access high quality training and development to help develop your career within the child and family sector.
This role will be based on-site at New Farm Road, Colchester (CO3 0PG) at a newly refurbished short-term home for five 12-17 year olds, and working as part of a multi-disciplinary team around the child you will support them to develop the skills and resilience to return to their families, or onto longer-term care.
Being an Advanced Skills Worker (ASW) requires a special kind of person. Day to day your main focus will be on providing nurturing therapeutic care to children who have experienced trauma, supporting and caring for them as a parent would, and each day brings unique experiences, filled with both highs and lows
As an ASW you will be part of the management team, responsible for the effective day to day running of the home and creating a caring, safe, and secure environment. You will line manage a team of staff, providing guidance and regular supervision to enable them to support children/young people to meet agreed outcomes and achieve their full potential.
It is important to be open minded and have a flexible and adaptable attitude and be able to manage challenges with a calm and patient demeanour. You will have an ability/willingness to understand and manage challenging behaviour including aggression and violence using a range of de-escalation techniques. You will also need to have effective written and verbal communication.
Previous experience in a Children’s Home or transferrable line management experience is essential and if you don’t already have a Level 3 Diploma you will need to complete this within 2 years of successful completion of probation period
We will provide you with all the training you need for the role along with good quality, regular supervision. This, together with the right attitude and access to a full in-house induction, will enable you to start your career with Essex County Council with confidence.
If shortlisted the interview process will be a one stage process where you will attend the care home for a face-to-face interview.
Due to nature of this role any applicants need to be at least 21 years old in order to undertake this post.
The salary offered is made up of a basic salary £31,931 to £36,423 per annum and a guaranteed allowance of 10% – £3,193 to £3,642 per annum, paid monthly, alongside the basic salary.
If you would like to know more about this role, please contact Wayne Russell – Registered Childrens Home Manager – Wayne.Russell@essex.gov.uk or Marcus Gill – Deputy Home Manager – Marcus.Gill@essex.gov.uk to arrange an informal chat.
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 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.
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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