Are you a social worker with a passion for working with children with disabilities and their families? Have you completed your assessed and supported year in employment? Hugely rewarding and full of variety and challenge - this could be the right role for you! WHAT IS INVOLVED? This is a brilliant role where you will work with children with additional needs and their families from the point of referral to the point of permanence. You will use our signs of safety practice model in a strengths-based, relational, trauma aware way, working alongside families to improve outcomes. Your work will be varied including assessing risk, implementing care plans, completing Child and Family assessments, working with children on a Children in Need basis, undertakeing Child Protection Work and enquiries under Section 47, as well as Public and Private Law. You will be joining us at a fantastic time. Inspectors have just judged our Children’s Services as outstanding and “social workers told inspectors that Durham is a great place to work. Their words and actions convey a sense of belonging and they view Durham as their employer of choice.” You can read the full report here https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50276863 We encourage you to contact Laura Bywater, Team Manager for an informal discussion about the role before you apply. You can contact Laura by e-mail at laura.bywater@durham.gov.uk HOW WILL I BE SUPPORTED? We are passionate about social work in County Durham. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish. We will ensure you are highly supported. You will benefit from high quality professional supervision, a great induction, and access to our strong learning and development offer. If you are looking to take a step into management our aspiring managers programme “rising stars” is there for you. We encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance. You can find out more about social work in Durham here: https://www.durham.gov.uk/childrenssocialwork WHAT WILL I NEED? You will need a degree in Social Work or equivalent Social Work qualification with current Social Work England registration, and must have completed the assessed and supported year in employment 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. REWARDS AND BENEFITS Our rewards and benefits are designed to support you: Competitive salaries 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service, and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year. We encourage excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year). Hybrid working (home and office working). Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS. Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme. Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring. Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers). Discounted DCC gym membership. Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause and Neurodiversity. Trade Union membership. A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing. Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look: https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits If you are looking to relocate to join us removal, lodging and separation expenses of up to £8,000 may be available to you if you live outside of County Durham and in excess of 30 miles in a straight line from your new base, along with a number of other criteria for eligibility. INTERVIEWS Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 15 September, but we are able to offer alternative dates if required. 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. HOW TO APPLY In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal. Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed. If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 (option 2), or the Recruitment Team via email at RecruitmentCYPS@durham.gov.uk We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in our Privacy Notice. https://www.durham.gov.uk/media/24645/Privacy-notice-human-resources/pdf/PrivacyNotice-HR.pdf PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION FOR THIS POST WILL BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED WITH NORTH EAST JOBS, INCLUDING YOUR INVITE TO INTERVIEW IF YOU ARE SHORTLISTED. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL AFTER THE CLOSING DATE FOR NOTIFICATION FROM DONOTREPLY@NORTHEASTJOBS.ORG.UK AS YOU WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED BY ANY OTHER MEANS. PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL. VPRS/161