This is your moment. Shape the Future. Feel Supported. Belong in Newcastle.
Newcastle is more than a workplace - it’s a community. A vibrant, multicultural city where creativity, kindness, and resilience run deep.
Families First is at the heart of our transformation in Newcastle. It’s a whole system shift designed to give children and families the right help at the right time and to make our practice more meaningful, relational, and effective. Through earlier intervention and prevention, our new Family Help teams step in at the right time, when families need support, helping them work through challenges they face.
About the Roles
We are excited to be able to recruit exceptional Newly Qualified Social Workers who would like the opportunity to complete their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) and have fantastic careers within Children & Families Newcastle.
Within Newcastle, we recruit our Newly Qualified Social Workers directly into a social work team; preferences are taken at point of interview and successful candidates are offered jobs in a team with an identified ASYE Assessor within the service area. We feel this is important so you can immediately know where you will be for the whole of your ASYE and beyond in your career as a social worker.
We are currently looking to recruit Newly Qualified Social Workers into our Family Help Service and Children in Care service.
Our Family Help Service
The ambition for Family Help in Newcastle is for families to receive the right support at the right time and at the first time from the right people. The level of support can vary depending on the needs of the family. Family Help is underpinned by relational practice.
In Newcastle, we are establishing a Family Help Service which provides a seamless service throughout the targeted Early Help and Child in Need spectrum. Within Family Help there are a range of skills and experience delivered by a mixture of Family Help Keyworkers and Social Workers – with a shared job role of Family Help Lead Practitioner.
Family Help in Newcastle is locality-based, meaning that professional relationships have best support families and encompasses 8 locality-based Family Help Teams. Family Help Lead Practitioners will work with families to build strong relationships based on respect and work in a strengths-based way, recognising that families, and family networks, will often have solutions to their own challenges.
Our Children in Care and Care Leavers Service
This area of our service provides support to children and young people in our care, and those moving onto independence from our care. Our social workers provide tailored, relational support to our young people – building long-term, trusting relationships and being a consistent supportive person in their lives to help them fulfil their full potential.
Who are we looking for?
We are recruiting those who wish to begin their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment in 2026. This is open to anyone who will receive their social work qualification and Social Work England registration in 2026. We would also consider the applications of anyone who has a social work qualification and is yet to complete their ASYE.
Both Family Help and Children in Care services are based in one, large, shared office space with other teams within Newcastle Children & Families. We are proud of our workspace; a place where we come together, share group reflections, ASYE workshops and team meetings in our collaborative spaces, and where we share lunch in our inviting, open kitchen space. Family Help practitioners will also work within the locality spaces.
At Newcastle, we pride ourselves on our ability to work relationally together as colleagues. So, we are looking for team players who want to work in an environment that prioritises relationships and champions social work values.
Why Newcastle, Why Now?
We’re not just a local authority. We’re a city with ambition, heart, and a bold vision for children. At Children & Families Newcastle, we’re building something special: a service rooted in relationships, restorative practice, and real impact.
In May 2025, we were rated as GOOD by Ofsted with an OUTSTANDING area for children who need help and protection.
Practitioners spoken with during the inspection are extremely positive about working in Newcastle and report feeling highly valued and well supported. Workers spoken with are proud to work in Newcastle – Ofsted, May 2025.
We are now in our fifth year of embedding a relational and restorative practice culture across our service and we are looking for motivated, child-centred Newly Qualified Social Workers to join our skilled and passionate workforce. If you want to be part of an organisation that is committed to working with families, rather than doing to them, then Newcastle Children & Families is the place for you.
You can read more about the Relational and Restorative practice approach across Newcastle on our Safeguarding Partnership website.
Workers have access to regular and relevant training, and personal development is prioritised…The impact is a cohesive, consistent, skilled and experienced workforce that is committed to improving the lives and experiences of children and their families in the city – Ofsted, May 2025.
Our ASYE Offer – why there’s nowhere better
We offer a rolling ASYE programme which means your start date with us is flexible, including the chance to work before Social Work England registration is received in a Family Help Keyworker role. You will also go straight into your identified social work role and complete the whole year within the same team environment, alongside experienced colleagues. The ASYE Programme is run centrally and includes monthly workshops, portfolio drop-ins, Relational Practice Lead monthly group supervisions and co‑working opportunities, and a range of other learning opportunities over the Assessed and Supported Year. This is in addition to the support of your allocated ASYE assessor and the wider restorative practice training offer.
Social workers who completed their ASYE in Newcastle recently appreciated “having a supportive team”, “regular ASYE sessions blocked out in advance”, “workshops that are helpful in ensuring we have a well‑rounded knowledge of all systems in Newcastle”, “protected caseload” and “the high level of support and training”. We listen to feedback and amend elements of the programme to reflect the specific needs and requirements of our Newly Qualified Social Workers.
During and beyond ASYE, we offer a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities. Our Practice Development Team provides a targeted development programme as you begin your career as a Newly Qualified Social Worker and continues as you progress through your early career and beyond with us.
Within Children and Families Newcastle, we have dedicated Relational Practice Leads who are experienced social workers who support our restorative approach within social work practice, co‑working with Newly Qualified Social Workers and providing additional support when working with complex situations. Therefore, we know that our ASYE Programme will enable you to embed social work practice that focuses on relationships and embodies a high support, high challenge approach to how we are with our children, families, and each other.
Flexibility That Works for Real Life
We know that great social work happens when people have balance, space, and trust. We are an inclusive employer, and we may be able to support part-time working alongside completion of the ASYE, depending on service need.
Working with us includes:
* A dedicated 5-day induction
* Generous annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually
* A range of flexible working options, including opportunities for part time working
* A generous Flexi Scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme offering confidential advice and support
* Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme
* Access to a home electronics scheme and vehicle leasing scheme
* Free parking
* Excellent transport links from our office base (Regent Centre Metro is a 5 minute walk from the office, and it’s only 13 minutes into the city centre for after work plans)
We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is working in regulated activity. If you are successful we will undertake additional recruitment checks which will include a check to see if you have had any criminal convictions, a check of police information and we will check the barred list(s). It is a criminal offence for a barred individual to apply for a job in regulated activity.
As this post involves working with children, vulnerable adults and dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers before the final selection stage.
A Community That Welcomes You
Newcastle is a city full of energy, warmth, and opportunity. A place where people look out for each other. A place where you can build a career, make a difference, and feel like you belong. Grow your practice. Make a difference. Thrive in Newcastle. This isn’t just another job. This is Newcastle.
Your Next Step
Interested in a career with Newcastle City Council? If you’re committed, and ready to take the next step in your career, and begin your ASYE, this is your moment.
Shortlisting:
We will shortlist based on written applications that demonstrate an understanding of the job specification and the knowledge, skills and experiences that meet this.
Recruitment and Interview:
The recruitment process also involves a competency based interview. At the point of interview, you will be asked for preference areas in relation to teams, start date and working patterns.
We will complete rolling interviews so you may be offered an interview ahead of the closing date of the application; please apply as soon as possible.
How to Apply
Apply online at www.northeastjobs.org.uk, select ‘Apply Now’ and complete our online application form. Before completing the form please ensure you read the supporting documents. Any communication sent to you regarding your application will be sent to the email address you have set up on your Northeast Jobs account, so you will need to ensure that you check your inbox.
Please email charlotte.whaley@newcastle.gov.uk for any further information or for an informal conversation about the role.
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