Participation and Engagement Practitioner “We used to be on the outside looking in, now we are very much behind the driving wheel” (Young person quote, Ofsted 2025). Participation isn’t a tick-box. It’s a commitment. For us in Durham, participation means much more than being consulted when decisions are already made. We are clear that all children need to be heard, and we won’t settle for anything less. That means putting children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We are ready for the next chapter, the next level! We want to create more space for children and young people’s voices, we want to be pro-active in seeking children’s views and embed participation not just in projects, but further; service wide, in our culture and decision making everywhere. And that’s the standard we are holding ourselves to. Always! Is this a little bit of you? WHAT IS INVOLVED? You’ll be part of a forward-thinking Participation and Engagement Team that strives in championing and involving children and young people in our service design and delivery from the outset. In this role, you will; Develop and deliver innovative engagement strategies and projects that put children first. Support colleagues to embed best practice in engagement across all services. Analyse feedback and ensure it drives meaningful change. Curious? Please grab a coffee and join Laura.armstrong@durham.gov.uk and colleague for a chat on 12th March 2026 at 3.00pm via Microsoft Teams - please follow this link WHAT WILL I NEED? You will need to bring your wisdom and experience of participation, engagement or community development, alongside experience of working with children and young people. You will need to be IT confident, organised and a great communicator as this role will require you to work with, connect and inspire young people. You will be part of a team but able to confidently work autonomously. In Durham we are committed to strengths based, relational, trauma aware practice where the voice of the child is central. Our practice framework is based on signs of safety and focussed on family group decision making, reunification and belonging you can read more about out service in our recent OUTSTANDING Ofsted inspection 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. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held on 31st March at Greenlane Spennymoor, this will include attending a young peoples panel. 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 we can help and support you in anyway in the application and interview process please let the lead officer know in advance. 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 people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY We welcome applications from disabled people and those who are or consider themselves to be neurodivergent 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. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentCYPS@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