Enhanced Social Work Practitioner

Connected Local Government; North East; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional social service provider is seeking an experienced social worker to mentor Newly Qualified Social Workers and support their professional growth. This role involves holding a reduced caseload while providing guidance on cases, planning reflective sessions, and collaborating with team managers. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in working with children and families, and a commitment to enhancing social work practice. A generous benefits package and ongoing professional development opportunities are provided.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous annual leave (27 days, rising to 32 after five years)

Membership in Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Significant experience of work with children, young people and families.
• Experience of using evidence-based practice to devise effective interventions.
• Knowledge and experience of implementing legislation and national standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance to Newly Qualified Social Workers to help develop their skills.
• Plan sessions for reflection and critical decision-making.
• Ensure Newly Qualified Social Workers have appropriate caseloads.

Skills

Experience with children, young people, and families

Evidence-based practice

Knowledge of legislation and national standards

Implementation of social work theories

Commitment to improving outcomes

Job description

Do you believe every child deserves to grow up surrounded by love, family, and a sense of belonging?

Are you an experienced social worker ready to progress your career and step into a role supporting our Newly Qualified Social Workers, modelling exceptional practice that will inspire and develop their skills at this important stage of their careers?

If so, we want to hear from you!

We’re on an exciting journey to expand our Connected Carers Service, doubling in size over the next 12 months, from two teams to four. This growth means more children staying within their family networks, more stability, and more opportunities for lifelong connections. We want every team to have an Enhanced Social Work Practitioner who will mentor the Newly Qualified Social Workers in the team.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

In addition to holding a reduced caseload, you will use your experience and knowledge to:

• Provide advice and guidance to our Newly Qualified Social Workers to help them build their confidence, resilience, knowledge, and skills in line with the post qualifying standards.
• Plan and facilitate sessions that encourage our Newly Qualified Social Workers to reflect, develop multiple hypotheses and enable peer challenge and critical reflection in decision‑making. Sessions will incorporate the Signs of Safety practice model and trauma informed relational practice.
• Provide advice and guidance to Newly Qualified Social Workers on their cases and co‑working more complex cases ensuring this reflection is evident on the child’s record and improves outcomes for the child.
• Work closely with the Practice Leads in our Social Work Academy and your Team Manager to ensure that the Newly Qualified Social Workers have appropriate caseloads in terms of number and complexity, and that they progress well.

You will be joining us at a fantastic time. Inspectors have judged our Children’s Services as outstanding. You can read the full report here.

HOW WILL WE SUPPORT YOU?

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.

Take a closer look.

We encourage you to contact Angela Wright or Clare Bromham the Team Managers of our 2 current Connected Carers teams for an informal discussion.

Contact Angela by e‑mail at [e-mail] and Clare by e‑mail at [e-mail] to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

To apply for this role you will:

• Be a social worker with significant experience of work with children, young people and families.
• Have experience of using evidence‑based practice to devise effective interventions.
• Have knowledge and experience of implementing legislation and national standards relevant to the role.
• Have the ability to implement a range of social work theories relevant to the role.
• Be committed to improving outcomes for children, young people, families and carers.

You can read more about the experience, skills and personal qualities we are looking for in the attached person specification.

If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held week commencing 23rd February 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.

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 [e-mail].

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from [e-mail]. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

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