Senior Practitioner – Leaving & Aftercare, North Essex

Permanent, Full Time

£48,205 to £57,988 per annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style: Community-based worker

Interviews will be held W/C 25th May 2026.

Essex County Council understand how important flexibility and wellbeing is for our colleagues working across children’s Social Care and that we need to think differently. We have therefore developed a nine-day working fortnight for full time frontline Social Workers within Children’s services.

The Team

The Leaving and Aftercare Team supports care‑experienced young people from age 16 to 25 as they prepare for independence, including children looked after, in residential, foster care, semi-independent accommodation or Supported lodgings. The team works alongside young people and partner agencies to provide advice, advocacy and practical support around housing, education, employment, health and emotional wellbeing. We are committed to promoting positive outcomes, stability and aspiration, ensuring young people feel supported to achieve their goals and thrive as young adults.

The Role

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 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 Senior Practitioner manages a complex caseload and provides expert supervision and coaching for colleagues, to achieve positive change for children, young people and families. The role deputises for the Team Manager, leading the team and management of duty services.

The role requires an experienced social work practitioner, able to manage higher levels of risk, mentor and advise staff, manage performance and deliver improvements. Building strong working relationships with key partners and stakeholders is essential.

North Quadrant Leaving and Aftercare work within a pod system, two managers and two senior practitioners. The senior practitioners have specific roles which include management, both deputising, and taking the lead on a variety of tasks. The senior practitioners in North are provided with ongoing opportunities to develop their management skills whilst holding a caseload, therefore experiencing a hybrid between management of the team and case management.

Candidate requirements will be excellent organisational skills, good leadership skills and working in unison with the management team; team managers and other senior practitioner in post.

Role Specific Accountabilities

• Assess, plan, review and provide support to a young person, family or carer with complex family or social care needs, taking full account of appropriate legal frameworks, policies and guidance
• Assess family functioning, providing help and support, when relationship breakdown threatens to impair the health or well-being of young people/children at risk of abuse or neglect
• Work collaboratively, building effective working relationships with other professionals, internally and externally to help young people and families improve and gain control of their lives when safety or ability to participate in their community is restricted
• Carry out an assessment or enquiry and plan responses to safeguard a young person from abuse, neglect and exploitation
• Arrange appropriate alternative care in collaboration with the placement team
• Promoting autonomy and development with young people who have complex needs.
• Maintain up to date, accurate and high- quality records of activity on cases. Participate in a range of planning and decision-making forums including case discussions, Strategy Meetings, Legal Planning meetings, Child Protection Conferences, Statutory Reviews
• Act as Practice Educators for social work qualifying course students on practice placements (as appropriate) or Assessor for Newly Qualified Social Workers completing their ASYE
• Working with communities, families and individuals to maximise or promote their personal strengths, social networks and resources
• Hold a caseload of a level of complexity and provide case management, guidance, support and expert advice to social care staff, students and newly qualified social workers, as and when required.
• Deputise for the manager when necessary
• Undertake 4 weekly supervisions of personal advisors
• Take the lead on an area of interest
• Present at panel and support other team members to present
• Work effectively in the pod system in place in North Leaving and Aftercare
• Evidence insightful practice with the YPs allocated to the team; engage in reflective discussions with team members to support ongoing development and understanding of the experiences of young people and how may affect their emotional, physical and cognitive functioning
• Consider creative ways of working in order to provide bespoke support and resources to YPs, when required

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current registration with Social Work England as a registered social worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Significant experience of social work, demonstrating a comprehensive and up to date understanding of all relevant legislation, regulation and guidance.
• Case Recording
• Demonstrate the ability in the application of Social Work 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.
• Experience of mentoring both Social Work students and newly qualified and experienced Social Work staff, being a subject matter expert in professional social work practice.
• Experience of chairing meetings involving clients, family members and/or carers and other multi-agency professionals.
• Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children, young people and families.
• In depth understanding of delivery of value for money interventions balanced against need.
• Proven track record of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

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?

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 March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been 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.

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.

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