Child and Family Worker - Children With Disabilities

About the Job

Salary: £29,540 to £32,061 per annum

Working Pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term until 31st March 2027

Location: Based in Littlehampton and Horsham, but travel throughout the County may be required.

Interview Date: 5th June 2026

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

We are seeking 2 dedicated Child and Family Workers to join our Children With Disabilities team, 1 based in Littlehampton and 1 based in Horsham although travel across the county may be required.

You will develop and offer a creative range of services for children with disabilities and their families to meet identified needs. As a CFW within the Review Team you will be responsible for setting up and reviewing packages of support with oversight of a Senior Social Worker.

Services will be provided in partnership with families, aiming to support them to make positive change and to enable children and young people to reach their full potential.

You will need to establish effective working relationships with colleagues within Children's Social Care, Foster Carers and other statutory and voluntary agencies, for example staff from health and education, in order to provide an integrated service.

About You

Just some of the skills and experience you will need include:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to organise and present information clearly, concisely, and accurately in ways that promote understanding, both verbally and in writing, and gaining the trust of service users.
• Ability to analyse and interpret information in order to manage casework with children / young people and their families, assessing needs, setting objectives and reviewing progress.
• Ability to engage and intervene in partnership with children/young people, their families, and other external agencies in order to effect positive and lasting change.
• Ability to work in an empowering way, focusing on collective strengths and resources, e.g., using a solution focused approach, and responding flexibly to diverse groups and service users whilst maintaining confidentiality.
• Ability to maintain clear, accurate records of all work undertaken and produce case reports and correspondence for a variety of audiences including meetings, conferences, court panels and other agencies.
• GCSE English and Maths, or equivalent qualification or experience operating at this level of literacy and numeracy.
• QCF Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce (or equivalent), or demonstrable equivalent comparable experience.
• Significant experience of using a range of direct work interventions in working with children, young people and their families.
• Experience of using assessment planning and reviewing processes.
• You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

For full list of keys skills and qualifications please refer to the job description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

About Us

We are committed to improving our services for the children and families we support in West Sussex. In May 2023 Ofsted Inspectors praised West Sussex County Council's Children's Services for its 'relentless approach to improving practice,' giving the service an overall rating of 'requires improvement', with 'good' judgements for children in care and leadership and management. The judgements on children needing help and protection and children leaving care are they 'require improvement to be good'.

Inspectors recognised the 'strong, determined and cohesive leadership team' who have made significant improvements since 2019 and their commitment and focus to make further improvements.

For further information about us and about working in Children's Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE06319.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Julie Cooper at for issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivation for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the above details and job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application please contact .

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application helppage.