This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference in your community as the first point of contact for people accessing Adult Social Care services across County Durham. As part of our multi-disciplinary team, which includes Social Workers and Occupational Therapy staff, you’ll provide vital support and guidance to those in need. WHAT IS INVOLVED? As a Social Care Officer within the team, you will be the first point of contact for enquiries received through a range of channels, including telephone, email, and text. You’ll respond to contacts from both the public and professionals from partner organisations, offering advice, information, and support around universal services, signposting to appropriate agencies where needed, as well as taking referrals when appropriate. Social Care Direct operates 8.30am – 5pm on Monday - Thursday and 8.30am-4.30pm on Friday. You will be on a rota for the days you attend the office. We encourage you to contact Karen Sharkey, Team Manager Karen.Sharkey@durham.gov.uk or Ruth Thompson, Senior Social Care Officer ruth.thompson@durham.gov.uk via email to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? You should have experience of working in a fast-paced customer service environment, with excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure. A good understanding of Adult Care legislation is advantageous. You should be confident in unpicking complex issues and able to communicate clearly with the wide range of service user groups under Adult Services. Required Qualifications: 5 GCSEs including English Language (9-5/A-C grades) or equivalent. Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure. Our commitment to safeguarding: Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought, inclusive of a check of the Adults Barred List, due to the position working in regulated activity. Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation and will confirm whether an individual is barred from working with adults. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held in week commencing 29th June 2026. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. Please visit our website ( https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2083/How-to-apply-for-a-job-with-us ) to understand our position on using AI to support your application and for guidance on completing your application. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentAHS@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161