Senior Practitioner D-BIT MID (CORE)
Permanent, Full Time
£48,205 to £57,988 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Community-based worker
Closing Date: 19th April 2026
Interviews expected to be held Wednesday 6th / Thursday 7th May
The Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a permanent Senior Practitioner position within the DBIT Edge of Care Team in the Mid Quadrant.
The DBIT Core Service is a countywide provision comprising of four quadrant-based teams, working with families where there is a risk of family relationship breakdown and a child or young person experiencing an unplanned care episode. Referrals to DBIT are made for children and young people between 8 and 17, however DBIT take a whole family approach within the work, and sessions involve meeting with the whole family. D-BIT use a Solution Focused approach as their model of intervention and a joint working approach, which means that two DBIT workers are allocated to a family.
As an existing Senior Practitioner or experienced Social Worker joining the team you would work with children and their families, within their homes or in communities. We work flexibly with families at times that work well for them, therefore most of our sessions take place in the afternoon and early evening.
You may be required to work occasional times on Saturday’s weekends where it is a best fit for families and to support Service wide activities which support families to come together. You will have the opportunity throughout the secondment to develop knowledge, skills and experience of working in an Edge of Care Service, using a Solution Focused Approach in your practice with Children and their Families, and in your work and role with others in the Team, Service and wider professional network.
Accountabilities
- Responsible for providing a source of expert advice and professional supervision for social workers and contributing to the development of practice standards.
- Accountable for contributing to the assessment of complex social care needs and development of support for vulnerable people, children and families.
- Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached.
- Responsible for managing a complex caseload, maintaining accurate and timely data, reports and presentations as required.
- Participates in a range of meetings and statutory reviews, pro-actively taking the lead when a social care perspective is required.
- Accountable for contributing to assessments and plan responses to safeguard and promote a child’s welfare including appropriate intervention as determined by need.
- Builds strong effective working relationships across the Council, with partners and members of voluntary agencies to help people get the best start in life and age well.
- Delivers a high level of expertise in particular areas of practice and leads on those areas, contributing to the development.
- Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework (SCCF)
The Experience You Will Bring
- Degree or Diploma in Social Work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
- Social Work England registration as a registered Social Worker
- Evidence of recent practice at a senior practitioner or equivalent level, supported by comprehensive working knowledge and experience of front-line exposure to a wide-ranging field of practice in Children Services
- Good knowledge and skills level in using Solution Focused in work with children, young people and families
- Experience in planning activities and programmes for children, young people and parents.
- Detailed knowledge of current legislation pertinent to Child Protection (e.g. Children Act1989, CJA1991Working Together to Safeguard Children), Guidance and Regulations.
- Knowledge and understanding of child development, relating theory and practice.
To read more about us please visit: Children & Families
Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video
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.
Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.
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.
What you should do next
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.
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
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