We are looking for 8 practitioners with experience of working with children, young people and families who are ready to take their careers to the next level by training to become social workers. This is a temporary role for 3 years while you complete a social work degree apprenticeship ( https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/social-worker-integrated-degree-v1-1 ). You will earn a salary for the whole 3 year period and the costs of your degree will be fully funded by Durham County Council’s apprenticeship levy. Following successful completion of your social work degree and registration with Social Work England you are guaranteed a permanent social work role working with children and families in Durham. Our social workers currently start in post on Grade 9 (£34,314) and are eligible for a £2,000 welcome payment. Ongoing post qualifying support and training opportunities are provided by our excellent Social Work Academy. WHAT DO OFSTED SAY ABOUT US? You will be joining us at a fantastic time. Inspectors have just judged our Children’s Services as outstanding. You can read the full report here https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50276863 WHAT IS INVOLVED? In this post you will work towards becoming a social worker by completing a degree in social work (an integrated degree apprenticeship). At least 1 day of your working week will be dedicated to study, but you will need to commit time to additional study and completing assignments. You will primarily work within a hub with other social work trainees supported by a lead practitioner who is an experienced social worker (we have 4 hubs, based in localities within the county each supported by a lead practitioner). You will experience a variety of work with children and families, which will gradually increase in complexity as your skills and knowledge develop. You will complete a 10 day shadowing placement and 2 further placements (1 of 70 days and 1 of 100 days) in our social work teams. You will be supported to implement Durham’s practice model, which is a strengths-based and safety-focused approach to practice, grounded in partnership and collaboration with families. We encourage you to come along to an online briefing where you will be able to find out more and ask questions about these roles and the degree programme. The online briefing will take place via MS Teams on: Tuesday 15th July 2025, 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm. Please use this link to join the briefing session if you would like to attend: Microsoft Teams Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 347 121 934 884 8 Passcode: V5Jb6w5y We encourage you to contact Developmentandlearningchildren@durham.gov.uk if you have any queries regarding the Social Worker trainee post. WHAT WILL I NEED? To have a real enthusiasm for social work with children and families as a career. A relevant professional qualification at level 3 or above e.g. nursing, mental health, education, criminal justice, youth work, therapeutic practice, counselling. GCSE grade C or above in English and maths, or a certified equivalent such as functional skills level 2. Recent experience of working with children and/or families. To meet the requirements of the Open University social worker degree apprenticeship programme. You can find out more here: Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship | Open University Please note: To be eligible for apprenticeship funding you must not have previously studied towards a Social Work qualification, or currently be studying towards a Social Work qualification. We encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates and aim to have a workforce that represents the society that we serve, and are particularly keen to hear from care experienced people. 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. INTERVIEWS You will hear from us about whether you have been selected for interview during the week commencing 28th July 2025 and Interviews are to be held in Spennymoor on 1st and 2nd September 2025 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. If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact the Payroll and Employee Services Team via email PESCYPS@durham.gov.uk. BENEFITS AND REWARDS We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best: Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service. Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year. 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. 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 HYBRID WORKING Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise the value of difference, having a diverse talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and can provide support throughout the recruitment process, for more information please refer to the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion page on our website. 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