Child Maintenance Service - Apprentice Telephony Caseworker

Government Recruitment Service; Birkenhead; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

The Child Maintenance Service Apprenticeship is a telephony-focused role within a busy Service Centre in Birkenhead. You will learn and perform customer service duties while studying towards a Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship, gaining practical experience and formal learning with guidance from experienced colleagues.

As part of the CMS and DWP family, you will handle high volumes of calls, resolve queries in real time, and develop skills in empathetic, accurate support for

Qualifications

• Telephony-focused apprenticeship role in a busy service centre.
• Apprenticeship to Level 3 Customer Service Specialist.
• No non-telephony deployment options; core telephony duties only.

Responsibilities

• Make and receive a high volume of telephone calls in a contact centre, wearing a headset, providing clear, accurate and compassionate support.
• Handle a wide range of telephony queries, complete follow-ups and escalate cases as needed.
• Manage sensitive conversations with professionalism, resilience and empathy.
• Support online customers digitally when required (secondary to telephony).
• Manage own caseload with multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Provide high-quality customer service with accurate and timely information.

Education

Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship

Job description

Child Maintenance Service - Apprentice Telephony Caseworker

Company: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £27,866 to £27,866 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Birkenhead Job type: Permanent Posting date: 12 Oct 2026 Closing date: 26 Oct 2026

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We help parents who are unable to make private financial agreements in support of their child(ren)’s living costs. Our mission is to ‘get money to children’ because it makes a real difference to children’s lives.

CMS are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce where everybody can thrive. If you want to make a difference to the lives of others and be part of the UK’s largest public services Department, then this could be the career for you.

In the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) you will have the opportunity to continually learn and work with a great team.

We are here to support you with your learning and self-development throughout the apprenticeship and beyond. You will grow your skills and experience through working with more experienced colleagues and through the support of other people in the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP).

This is an exciting opportunity to earn as you learn and gain practical experience while you study towards achieving a Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship. You’ll receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and be part of a great team.

Take a look at the DWP you tube channel to find out more https://youtu.be/DwG6S1XQy2Y

This is a telephony focused Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship role at the heart of our busy Service Centre. As a valued member of a supportive and welcoming team, you will play a key part in delivering excellent customer service primarily through inbound and outbound telephone contact. The role is fast paced, rewarding, and central to supporting parents and families across the UK.

While you will occasionally support customers digitally, the core and essential requirement of this role is telephony work. This involves spending the majority of your working day handling telephone calls while using a headset, managing conversations professionally, and resolving customer queries in real time. There are no alternative non-telephony deployment options within this role.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and will consider workplace adjustments to support colleagues to deliver all aspects of the telephony role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Make and receive a high volume of telephone calls in a contact centre environment while wearing a headset, providing clear, accurate and compassionate support to customers.
• Address a wide range of telephony queries, completing any follow‑up actions and escalating cases appropriately, often managing multiple tasks at once.
• Handle sensitive or challenging conversations with professionalism, resilience and empathy.
• Support online customers digitally when required (these are secondary to telephony responsibilities).
• Manage your own caseload, balancing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Provide high-quality customer service, ensuring information given is accurate, timely and easy to understand.
• Gather information from various sources to make accurate calculations and decisions regarding liability to pay child maintenance, inputting information precisely into internal IT systems.
• Negotiate child maintenance arrangements and payment plans in line with legislation and guidance.
• Secure payments and clearly explain the consequences of non‑payment.
• Take appropriate enforcement actions where required.

Supporting Candidates Live Events

We’ll be hosting a series of webinar sessions led by CMS leaders, Caseworkers and an Apprentice Specialist, who will share insights into the Caseworker role, their personal experiences with training and support, and the benefits of working as a civil servant.

While attendance is optional, these sessions are a great opportunity to learn more about the vacancy and what it’s like to work at CMS. Each session will last approximately 60 minutes, take place via Microsoft Teams, and include a short segment where you can ask questions.

If you would like to join the event, please click on the link below and complete your details to register interest. You will then be automatically enrolled onto the webinar and can access the event on the day via the link sent to your email address.

Friday 16 October 2026 at 12 pm

Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 4 pm

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Summary

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We help parents who are unable to make private financial agreements in support of their child(ren)’s living costs. Our mission is to ‘get money to children’ because it makes a real difference to children’s lives.

CMS are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce where everybody can thrive. If you want to make a difference to the lives of others and be part of the UK’s largest public services Department, then this could be the career for you.

In the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) you will have the opportunity to continually learn and work with a great team.

We are here to support you with your learning and self-development throughout the apprenticeship and beyond. You will grow your skills and experience through working with more experienced colleagues and through the support of other people in the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP).

This is an exciting opportunity to earn as you learn and gain practical experience while you study towards achieving a Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship. You’ll receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and be part of a great team.

Take a look at the DWP you tube channel to find out more https://youtu.be/DwG6S1XQy2Y

This is a telephony focused Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship role at the heart of our busy Service Centre. As a valued member of a supportive and welcoming team, you will play a key part in delivering excellent customer service primarily through inbound and outbound telephone contact. The role is fast paced, rewarding, and central to supporting parents and families across the UK.

While you will occasionally support customers digitally, the core and essential requirement of this role is telephony work. This involves spending the majority of your working day handling telephone calls while using a headset, managing conversations professionally, and resolving customer queries in real time. There are no alternative non-telephony deployment options within this role.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and will consider workplace adjustments to support colleagues to deliver all aspects of the telephony role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Make and receive a high volume of telephone calls in a contact centre environment while wearing a headset, providing clear, accurate and compassionate support to customers.
• Address a wide range of telephony queries, completing any follow‑up actions and escalating cases appropriately, often managing multiple tasks at once.
• Handle sensitive or challenging conversations with professionalism, resilience and empathy.
• Support online customers digitally when required (these are secondary to telephony responsibilities).
• Manage your own caseload, balancing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Provide high-quality customer service, ensuring information given is accurate, timely and easy to understand.
• Gather information from various sources to make accurate calculations and decisions regarding liability to pay child maintenance, inputting information precisely into internal IT systems.
• Negotiate child maintenance arrangements and payment plans in line with legislation and guidance.
• Secure payments and clearly explain the consequences of non‑payment.
• Take appropriate enforcement actions where required.

Supporting Candidates Live Events

We’ll be hosting a series of webinar sessions led by CMS leaders, Caseworkers and an Apprentice Specialist, who will share insights into the Caseworker role, their personal experiences with training and support, and the benefits of working as a civil servant.

While attendance is optional, these sessions are a great opportunity to learn more about the vacancy and what it’s like to work at CMS. Each session will last approximately 60 minutes, take place via Microsoft Teams, and include a short segment where you can ask questions.

If you would like to join the event, please click on the link below and complete your details to register interest. You will then be automatically enrolled onto the webinar and can access the event on the day via the link sent to your email address.

Friday 16 October 2026 at 12 pm

Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 4 pm

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.