Job Description

Child and Family Support Worker - Supervised Family Time Team

Permanent, Full Time

£26,284 to £33,256 Per Annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: Thursday 6th August 2026 at 11.59pm

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

The majority of work is delivered within Family Centres and community settings in the Chelmsford and Halstead areas. However, flexibility is required, as occasional travel outside of these localities may be necessary to meet the needs of the service and support children and families. This may include transporting children and young people to attend supervised family time sessions.

Interview Date: W/C 17th August.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us having received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

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

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

The Opportunity

The role of a Child and Family Support Worker within the Supervised Family Time Team is vital in helping children maintain safe, meaningful, and positive relationships with their families. Working with children in care and their families, you will facilitate and supervise family time sessions, ensuring that they take place in a safe, supportive, and child-focused environment.

You will work closely with Social Workers and other professionals to deliver tailored support that meets the individual needs of children and families. Through observation, engagement, and direct support, you will contribute valuable information that informs assessments, care planning, and decision-making, helping to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

The role involves a range of responsibilities, from providing practical assistance and facilitating play-based activities to offering emotional support and promoting positive family interactions. You will be responsible for ensuring that children's welfare remains at the centre of all interventions, while supporting families to build and maintain healthy relationships.

Working collaboratively across Children's Services, including family support, fostering and disability services, you will contribute to a coordinated approach that promotes the wellbeing, development and safety of children and young people. Given the complexity and emotionally demanding nature of the work, the successful candidate will demonstrate resilience, compassion, professionalism, and a strong commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children and families.

Accountabilities

• Support Social Work Teams to organise, coordinate, and facilitate supervised family time arrangements for children, young people, and their families.
• Build positive, professional, and effective relationships with children, young people and families, promoting strengths-based practice and supporting positive family interactions. Maintain high standards of professionalism at all times, contributing to confidence in Children's Social Care services.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children by identifying risks, raising concerns appropriately and contributing to the implementation of safeguarding plans.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external partner agencies, including Social Workers, Schools, Health Services, Mental Health Professionals and Guardians, to gather and share relevant information that informs assessments, planning and decision-making.
• Provide information, guidance and practical support to children and families, helping them access appropriate services and resources. Act as an advocate where required to ensure their needs are appropriately represented.
• Attend and contribute to reviews, case conferences, planning meetings, and court proceedings, as appropriate, providing observations and professional insight to support understanding of the child's needs and progress.
• Maintain timely, accurate and objective case records and reports in accordance with Children and Families policies, procedures, and recording requirements, including the use of Mosaic.
• Observe and assess family interactions during supervised family time sessions, identifying strengths, areas of concern and opportunities to improve outcomes for children and families.
• Work collaboratively across Children's Services and with partner agencies to support the effective delivery of services and contribute to positive outcomes for children, young people, and families.
• Deliver planned interventions and support in line with agreed care plans and guidance from the allocated Social Worker, ensuring interventions are outcome-focused, time-limited where appropriate and demonstrate measurable impact.
• Promote children's emotional wellbeing, development and safety through direct engagement, play-based activities and supportive interventions tailored to individual needs.

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A Level, NVQ, BTEC) or equivalent qualification, or able to demonstrate relevant equivalent experience.
• Experience of building and maintaining positive relationships with children, young people, and families, particularly during periods of challenge, vulnerability, or crisis.
• Good understanding of child development, attachment and the factors that can impact children, young people, and families, with the ability to engage children through age-appropriate and play-based activities.
• Strong communication, observational and recording skills, with the ability to work effectively with families and professional partners while maintaining a commitment to safeguarding and promoting children's welfare.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and 2004, safeguarding legislation and guidance relevant to Children's Social Care practice.
• Experience of working within Children's Social Care, family support, education, health, or a related children's service, including effective partnership working with multi-agency professionals.
• Experience of maintaining accurate records using electronic case management systems and producing clear, professional documentation.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, with additional qualifications or skills such as First Aid, British Sign Language (BSL), or other relevant training being advantageous.

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.

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 daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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