We’re expanding and looking for passionate, dynamic individuals to make a real difference for children, young people, and families across County Durham.
Our service includes:
* Supporting Solutions – Keeping families together
* Rapid Response – Supporting young people’s mental health and preventing Tier 4 admissions
* ERASE – Tackling child exploitation
* Emergency Duty Team – Providing urgent out-of-hours support
As a CWSS Worker, you’ll be at the heart of crisis response, working flexibly with families to prevent breakdown, support mental health needs, and supporting vulnerable young people. You’ll use evidence-based interventions and a whole-family approach to create positive outcomes and lasting change.
What You’ll Do
* Deliver wraparound support inside and outside normal hours (including evenings, weekends, and on-call)
* Work creatively to keep families together and reduce the risk of young people needing to come into the care of the Local Authority
* Support young people to access education, positive activities, and community resources
* Help those at risk of exploitation, missing episodes, or mental health crises
What We’re Looking For
We want enthusiastic, resilient professionals who:
* Understand child development and trauma
* Are skilled in solution-focused, strengths-based, and trauma-informed practice
* Can work flexibly and think creatively under pressure
* Communicate brilliantly and build strong relationships
* Are committed to improving outcomes for children and families
Experience in therapeutic work and child mental health is a big plus!
Why Join Us?
This is a new and evolving role—your ideas and expertise will help shape its future. You’ll be part of a supportive, passionate team making a real impact where it matters most.
We encourage you to contact Lucy Armstrong via email at lucy.armstrong@durham.gov.uk, Clare Alderson via e-mail at Clare.Alderson@durham.gov.uk or Jude Grant via e-mail on judith.grant@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role.
WHAT WILL I NEED?
Level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent qualification and significant recent experience (i.e. within the last 12 months) of direct work with young people and their families.
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 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.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 7th January 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.
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.
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