Senior Practitioner – DBIT North Core

About The Role
Senior Practitioner - DBIT North Core
Fixed Term / Secondment, 6 month contract

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£46,574 to £56,027 per annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: Sunday 21st December pm)

Interview Date: Monday 5th January 2026 at Rowan House, Colchester

Please note that this is a Secondment / Fixed Term Contract opportunity for a period of 6 months.

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
An exciting opportunity has risen for a 6 months secondment / fixed term contract opportunity as a Senior Practitioner in the DBIT edge of care Team in the North Quadrant, based in Rowan House, Colchester, with the expectation of working in the office 3 to 4 days per week.

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 years of age, 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 have experience of working with children and their families, within their homes or in communities. We work flexibly with families at times that work well for them, therefore we most of our sessions take place in the afternoon and early evening, up to 9pm. This is because we have found that this is a best fit for families and supports 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 senior social worker 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. Ideally having attended the Foundation level of Intermediate Course in Solution Focused Practice.
• 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.

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.

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

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

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