Enhanced Social Work Practitioner

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Enhanced Social Work Practitioner to join their Families First service. This role is crucial in mentoring Newly Qualified Social Workers, helping them navigate their early careers while ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children and families. With a commitment to professional development and a supportive work culture, this position offers a rewarding opportunity to make a significant impact in the community. Flexible working arrangements and generous benefits are part of the package, making it an attractive role for passionate social workers looking to advance their careers.

Benefits

27 days holiday, rising to 32

Option to purchase additional leave

Flexible working schemes

Hybrid working model

Local Government Pension Scheme

Wellbeing Portal

Learning and development opportunities

Discounted gym membership

Employee Benefits Portal

Relocation expenses up to £8,000

Qualifications

• Degree in social work or equivalent qualification required.
• Significant experience with children and families is essential.

Responsibilities

• Support Newly Qualified Social Workers in their professional development.
• Hold a protected caseload and ensure child safety and welfare.

Skills

Social Work

Mentoring

Evidence-Based Practice

Legislation Knowledge

Child Welfare

Education

Degree in Social Work

Social Work England Registration

Job description

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

We are looking for an Enhanced Social Work Practitioner to join our Families First service in the South of the County. Hugely rewarding and full of variety and challenge - this could be the right role for you!

WHAT IS INVOLVED?
Families First teams work with our most vulnerable children, young people, and families in County Durham. As part of a dedicated team, you will hold a protected caseload and use your expertise to support families, help keep children safe, and enable them both to thrive.

In addition to holding a reduced caseload, you will use your experience and knowledge to play a key role as mentor to our Newly Qualified Social Workers in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE).

As a mentor you will:

• 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 the Team Manager to ensure that the Newly Qualified Social Workers have appropriate caseloads in terms of number and complexity, and that their ASYE progresses well.

HOW WILL I BE SUPPORTED?
We are passionate about social work in County Durham. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish. We ensure our social workers are highly supported and encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance.

Find out more about how we support our Social Workers:https://www.durham.gov.uk/childrenssocialwork

WHAT WILL I NEED?
You will need a degree in social work, or equivalent social work qualification, a current Social Work England Registration, and a commitment to work towards Practice assessor qualification PA1 and 2 in line with skills for care good practice. You will also need:

• Significant experience of social work with children, young people and their families
• Experience of using evidence-based practice to devise effective interventions
• Knowledge and experience of implementing legislation and national standards relevant to the role
• Ability to implement a range of social work theories relevant to the role
• Commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people, and 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.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS
We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best:

• Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service.
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year.
• Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year).
• Hybrid working (home and office working).
• Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS.
• Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme.
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers).
• Discounted DCC gym membership.
• Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT+, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause.
• Trade Union membership.
• A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing.

If you are looking to relocate to join us, relocation expenses of up to £8,000 may be available to you.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look:https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits

HYBRID WORKING
Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services.

We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process.

Take a closer look:https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26899/Equality-diversity-and-inclusion-in-our-workforce

INTERVIEWS
Interviews are scheduled to be held in person in Spennymoor during the week commencing 19 May 2025.

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.

READY TO TO APPLY?
We encourage you to contact Lynne Weatherspoon or Jane Farrell arrange an informal discussion about the role before applying. You can contact Lynne by e-mail [e-mail] Jane by e-mail [e-mail]

In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal.

Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed.

If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 (option 2), or the Recruitment Team via email [e-mail]

We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in our Privacy Notice.https://www.durham.gov.uk/media/24645/Privacy-notice-human-resources/pdf/PrivacyNotice-HR.pdf

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION FOR THIS POST WILL BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED WITH NORTH EAST JOBS, INCLUDING YOUR INVITE TO INTERVIEW IF YOU ARE SHORTLISTED. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL AFTER THE CLOSING DATE FOR NOTIFICATION [e-mail] YOU WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED BY ANY OTHER MEANS. PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL.

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