Leaving Care Worker (3 Posts)

Derbyshire County Council; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Incremental annual pay increases

Cycle to work scheme

Discounts at leisure centres

Job summary

Derbyshire County Council’s Leaving Care Service seeks committed Leaving Care Workers to join the Erewash and South Derbyshire Team. Roles include full-time and part-time positions based in our youth hubs.

The post focuses on corporate parenting, trauma-informed practice, and achieving positive outcomes for care leavers. Applicants should be passionate about supporting young people, with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to collaborative working with local authorities and partners.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with looked-after children and care leavers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for work with young people, partners and teams.
• Strong advocacy for care leavers and children in care.

Responsibilities

• Maintain positive outcomes and a never-give-up culture for care-experienced young people.
• Collaborate with care-experienced young people, partners and locality teams.
• Promote child-centred transitions into interdependence.
• Represent the service locally and regionally.
• Follow statutory guidelines for care leavers and children in care.
• Support multiple young people to achieve best outcomes.
• Commit to corporate parenting values.
• Work with housing and adult social care as needed.

Skills

Looked-after children

Interpersonal skills

Advocacy for care leavers

Team collaboration

Job description

Closing date: 23 August 2026

Derbyshire Leaving Care Service are looking for Leaving Care Workers to join our very passionate, inclusive and dynamic Erewash and South Derbyshire Team based in one of our nationally renowned young persons hubs. There are full time and part time roles available.

You will be committed to corporate parenting, relationships-based practice as the driver of positive outcomes and transitions. Social Pedagogy and trauma informed approaches will be at the heart of your practice and with the ability to challenge and aspire colleagues and partners to ensure a genuine parenting approach and good accommodation options for older children in care and care leavers.

You will be joining an established, high performing service with excellent strategic agreements including a comprehensive Local Offer for Care Leavers, excellent EET opportunities, discounted water bills for care leavers, council tax reductions, thriving support groups. We are aspirational to build an even better service following on from our 2023 Ofsted Leaving Care Visit.

Inspectors were humbled by the amazing strength of the council’s care leavers and found:

• A passionate and skilled workforce which is enabling care leavers to progress well and benefit from positive experiences
• The aspirations, wishes and concerns for young people leaving the council’s care are apparent and plans are ‘ambitious’ reflecting a ‘determination for care leavers to succeed in what they want to do.’
• A focus on effective transition for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 with support to develop confidence and life skills to negotiate the opportunities and challenges of adulthood.
• Young people leaving the council’s care value the service and said workers are caring and supportive and they felt they could contact their worker when necessary
• Accommodation needs are carefully considered so young people feel secure and their wishes around location are respected so they can maintain relationships with people who are important to them
• There is a clear focus on education, employment and training designed to help young people of all abilities choose the appropriate route to make the most of their opportunities when they leave care
• The council’s culture is ‘not giving up on a young person’ and this is embedded across the service

What will I be doing:

• Maintain and promote positive outcomes and our culture of never giving up on care experienced young people.
• Work supportively with our care experienced young people, our partners and locality social work teams with an aspirational approach for young people’s futures.
• Maintain a child centred approach while promoting young people’s transitions into interdependence.
• Represent the service locally and regionally.
• Work with the statutory guidelines and expectations for care leavers and children in care.
• Effectively support a number of young people to achieve the best outcomes for them.
• Evidencing a determined commitment to corporate parenting
• Working in partnership with colleagues, locality social workers, housing and adult social care teams

What skills and experience do you need to have:

• Experience of working with children in care and care leavers
• A real passion and commitment to do more and better for our young people whilst guiding them to achieve interdependence
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully interact with young people, workers, management and partners
• A strong advocate for care leavers and children in care

What we offer you:

• Annual leave and sick pay
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Guaranteed incremental annual pay increases
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts at selected county leisure centres
• A vibrant service culture with an existing strong, skilled and passionate workforce