Domestic Assistant
Permanent, Full Time
£25,081 per annum
Location: Colchester
Working Style: Fixed-base worker
Closing Date: Sunday 15th February 2026 at 11.59pm
Interview Date: W/C the 9th of March 2026.
Why work with us?
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + option to buy more
- Generous Local Government Pension Scheme https://www.essexpensionfund.co.uk/
- Essex Rewards – discounts at hundreds of retailers
- Lifeworks Health & Wellbeing Platform
- Up to 2 paid volunteering days (individual) + 2 team volunteering days annually
- Ongoing learning and development to support your career journey
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.
The Domestic Assistant contributes to the maintenance of laundry and kitchens within residential homes or family centres to ensure cleanliness and high standards of food hygiene for young people.
Utilising skills and experience in effective laundry management to maintain cleanliness in individual and family rooms, together with some kitchen experience will be an important element in undertaking this role.
Accountabilities
- Responsibility for ensuring all laundry duties within residential homes is undertaken efficiently and in a timely way.
- Contributes to kitchen efficiency by utilising equipment to ensure cleanliness of kitchen tools, crockery and pans are maintained to a high standard on a regular basis.
- Ensures family or visiting rooms remain tidy and clean throughout shifts, to ensure environment is welcoming to both residents and visitors.
- Undertakes kitchen and dining room duties to ensure hygiene and cleanliness maintained throughout residential home.
- Undertakes laundry of items in residential homes to ensure standards of cleanliness are maintained.
- Contributes to cleaning and laundry duties to ensure they are delivered to a high quality.
The Experience You Will Bring
- Educated to RQF level 2 (GCSE) or equivalent by experience.
- Evidence of Health and Safety experience and any relevant qualifications and evidence of training incorporating moving and handling of objects.
- Evidence of a First Aid qualification, training and experience.
- Knowledge and experience of basic food hygiene.
- High standards of cleanliness.
- Understanding of working in a setting for young people who are receiving a period of residential care.
- Ability and experience of working on own initiative and a flexible attitude.
- Friendly demeanour, empathetic towards others.
If you would like to know more about this role, please contact Wayne Russell – Registered Home Manager Wayne.russell@essex.gov.uk and / 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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