Social Work Assistant

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government authority in North East England seeks a Permanent Social Work Assistant to join the Dales Locality Team. The role involves assessing and meeting the needs of adults with physical disabilities and older people. Candidates should have a good understanding of key policy drivers, valid driving license, and relevant qualifications. This position offers excellent work-life balance and a hybrid working model with a range of benefits.

Benefits

27 days holiday rising to 32 days after five years of service

Excellent work/life balance

Hybrid working options

Contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme

Discounted gym membership

Qualifications

• Experience working with people in a caring role (voluntary or paid).
• Access to a car or mobility support.

Responsibilities

• Work within the Dales Locality Team to support service users.
• Collaborate with professionals to assess and meet needs.

Skills

Experience in customer focused environment

Ability to work with partner agencies

Education

5 GCSEs including English Language (9-4/A-C grades)

Job description

Overview

We are looking to appoint a Permanent 30 hour Social Work Assistant to work within the Dales Locality Team.

The Team provides an effective and efficient Assessment and Care Management service to adults 18 years and over with a physical disability, older people, and their carers.

Responsibilities

What is involved? You will have a good understanding of key policy drivers and issues affecting the Team’s service user groups and their carers. Able to work with partner agencies, providers, and other professionals in order to ensure needs are assessed and met in an appropriate and timely manner.

Contact

Please contact Angela Craggs, Locality Team Manager on tel: [phone] or email at [e-mail] to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

Qualifications

You should have experience of working with people either in a customer focussed environment or in a caring role (work can be in a voluntary or paid capacity).

Required Qualifications: 5 GCSEs including English Language (9-4/A-C grades) or equivalent relevant qualification.

Access to a car or means of mobility support (if driving must have current valid driving licence and appropriate insurance).

If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

Rewards and Benefits

• 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.

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 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

Interviews will be held week commencing 5th January 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.

How to Apply

We welcome applications from disabled people and those who are or consider themselves to be neurodivergent. 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. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email [e-mail].

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