Senior Practitioner Access to Records

Durham County Council; Spennymoor; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Durham County Council is seeking a Senior Practitioner - Access to Records within Children’s Social Care to review complex records, assess risks, and determine disclosures while safeguarding the rights of children and families.

Role requires a Social Work degree and current registration, with significant post-qualifying experience. Hybrid working and DBS checks are part of the offering, with opportunities to influence practice and policy.

Qualifications

• Degree in Social Work or equivalent Social Work qualification.
• Current Social Work England registration.
• Significant post-qualifying experience with children, young people, families and carers.
• Experience of Subject Access Requests and handling confidential information.
• Experience using policies, law, and regulatory guidance to inform decisions.
• Experience working proactively within timescales to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

Responsibilities

• Review complex records, assess potential risks and decide on information disclosure that may impact lives.
• Collaborate with colleagues to manage requests within statutory timescales.
• Ensure children, young people and families remain at the heart of every decision.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance to practitioners, managers and partner agencies.

Education

Degree in Social Work

Social Work England registration

Job description

Are you an experienced social worker looking to make a difference in a different way? Do you want to use your professional expertise, judgement and understanding of children's social care in a specialist role that helps people access important information about their lives? If so, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for. Children, young people, care leavers and families have a legal right to access information held about them by Children's Social Care. As a Senior Practitioner - Access to Records, you will play a vital role in ensuring those rights are upheld safely, lawfully and compassionately.

These are rare and exciting opportunities. As demand for our service continues to grow, we are expanding our small and highly specialised Access to Records team. This is your chance to be part of a developing service where your social work knowledge and experience will have a direct impact on the lives of children, families and care-experienced adults.

WHAT IS INVOLVED

• Use your knowledge and professional judgement to review complex records, assess potential risks and make decisions about disclosing information that can have a significant impact on the lives of children, families and care-experienced adults.
• Work closely with colleagues to ensure requests are managed effectively and completed within statutory timescales.
• Ensure that children, young people and families remain at the heart of every decision.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance to practitioners, managers and partner agencies.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• A degree in Social Work or equivalent Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Significant post-qualifying experience of social work with children, young people, families and carers.
• Experience of Subject Access Requests and working with highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience of using policies and procedures, law, regulatory and statutory guidance to inform decisions.
• Experience of working proactively within timescales to achieve positive outcomes and avoid drift and delay for children, young people, families and carers.

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.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING

Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought inclusive of a check of the Children’s Barred List, due to the position working in regulated activity. Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation and will confirm whether an individual is barred from working with children.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held on 2nd October 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 and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

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