Social Worker, Youth Support Team

Do you want to join us? ‘Social workers love working in East Sussex because they feel valued and supported.’ Ofsted Report 2024

It is a really exciting time to join our Youth Support Team (YST) in Lewes as a Social Worker due to recent changes that we have in place on how we work with families. Our brand new initiative: Connected Families intervention Practitioners (CFIP) means that our Social Workers are supported within a multi-agency team so allow the social worker to focus on direct work with children.

On top of this, we have implemented another initiative that is unique to East Sussex County Council; Get Digital, which provides social workers with the skills and resources to support children and young people to build digital resilience/media literacy skills meaning they can take advantage of all the benefits of being online whilst staying safe. These initiatives along with the fact that our court proceedings have never been lower means that Social Workers can focus on relationship practice.

We also have our Connected Coaches team who work alongside the Social Worker to assess, plan and deliver evidence-based interventions, to stabilise, reduce risk, enhance relationships and promote the care of young people within their family.

We are looking for candidates who

• Are able to engage effectively using creativity, compassion and authority to overcome resistance, build relationships, and communicate, while maintaining professional boundaries in complex and emotionally challenging situations.
• Are a passionate advocate for the young people and families and be fully committed to making a positive difference to those you work with.
• Have experience of working directly with children and families.
• Have experience of completing assessments upon which effective plans are based.
• Have knowledge of legal and policy frameworks that informs and mandates social work practice

We all know that writing job applications can be challenging and time consuming, so we have streamlined the process as much as possible. Please follow the 'Apply Now' button to upload your CV and a Supporting Statement. The main areas we want you to tell us about in your Supporting Statement are:

• Your work with children and young people
• How you communicate with others
• Your application or research in theory in practice

Brief and to the point and with some examples is the way to go!

Please download the Job Description and Person Specification for more information.

For guidance on how to write an application see our how to apply page and our statement on the use of AI.

Interviews will take place within two weeks at County Hall, in Lewes. At Interview the main areas we’d like you to tell us about include:

• Your work with children and young people
• How you communicate with others
• Your application of research or theory in practice
• Your strong social work leadership skills

Candidates who meet certain criteria are given priority when we shortlist. See our priority status page for details.

Our unparalleled social work education team are dedicated to supporting our social workers grow and develop within and beyond their roles. Whether your preference is relationship based practice or you want valuable front line experience that is a great stepping stone into management our YST team in Lewes offers these opportunities.

We offer a diverse range of benefits to help and support you during your employment. More information can be found on our benefits page.

For more information about Children's Social work in East Sussex please visit our Children's Social Work pages, or for an informal discussion about recruitment or if you’d like a chat with a particular service practice manager please contact Cassie Atherton, Email: cassie.atherton@eastsussex.gov.uk

Phone: 01424 724130

*Please note that these salaries include a market supplement which has been agreed to the end of June 2026 - you can view the basic salary on our Salaries scales page

For excellent training and development, choose East Sussex!

Additional Information

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check or Enhanced check for Regulated Activity with the Disclosure & Barring Services (previously the Criminal Records Bureau). For further information about what is required in this process please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record. Please note that we require evidence of an overseas police check if you have lived or worked abroad.

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is part-time or term-time only.

If you require sponsorship to work in the UK please let the hiring manager know this in your application so we can check eligibility for sponsorship for the role. For further information please go to https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

If you require any reasonable adjustments, due to disability, to enable you to participate fully in the process please contact the hiring manager on the contact details above.