Assistance jobs in United Kingdom

We are looking for social workers who have completed the assessed and supported year in employment to join our Families First teams, working with our most vulnerable children, young people and families. Your expertise will support families, help keep children safe and enable them both to thrive.

Hugely rewarding and full of variety and challenge - this could be the right role for you!

This is a brilliant role where you will work collaboratively with children, young people and families in need of help and protection. You will use our signs of safety practice model in a strengths-based, relational, trauma aware way, working alongside families to improve outcomes.

Your work will be varied including single assessments, working with children on a Child in Need basis, undertaking Child Protection work and enquiries under Section 47, as well as Public and Private Law.

You will be joining us at a fantastic time. Inspectors have just judged our Children’s Services as outstanding and “social workers told inspectors that Durham is a great place to work. Their words and actions convey a sense of belonging and they view Durham as their employer of choice.”

You can read the full report here.

We have posts available in teams across County Durham, and we can help you find the right team for you.

We encourage you to contact Paula Ferriday, Team Manager, for an informal discussion about the role. You can contact Paula by e‑mail at paula.ferriday@durham.gov.uk

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. If you are looking to take a step into management our aspiring managers programme “rising stars” is there for you.

We encourage flexible working to achieve a good work‑life balance.

You can find out more about social work in Durham here.

You will need a degree in Social Work or equivalent Social Work qualification with current Social Work England registration.

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.

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.

If you are looking to relocate to join us removal, lodging and separation expenses of up to £8,000 may be available to you if you live outside of County Durham and in excess of 30 miles in a straight line from your new base, along with a number of other criteria for eligibility.

Social workers post ASYE in this post are eligible for a recruitment/retention allowance of £2,500 over 12 months (pro‑ra for part time workers). Payments are made in equal instalments across a 12-month period alongside your pay. The allowances are subject to tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.

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 are expected to take place in February 2026, but we are able to offer alternative dates if required.

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.

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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Visit our website durham.gov.uk/jobsandcareerswithus