Fostering Social Worker

We are looking for an enthusiastic social worker to join our Fostering Support Team covering the south of County Durham.

We are an established and dedicated team who are committed to growing the support we provide to our fantastic foster carers by providing good quality supervision and support, and regular retention events and activities.

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.

This is an exciting time to join our fostering service as we continue to develop and strengthen our offer to children, young people and foster carers through the implementation of an end-to-end fostering model. Over the coming months, fostering services across the 12 north east local authorities will work increasingly closely together as part of the developing Regional Care Cooperative. This represents a significant opportunity to shape and influence the future of fostering, share best practice across the region and enhance the support available to foster carers and children. Throughout this period of change, our focus remains firmly on delivering high-quality services, maintaining strong relationships with our foster families and creating a positive and supportive environment for our staff. Joining us now offers the chance to be part of an ambitious and innovative service as we help shape the future of fostering across the region.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?
As a passionate and nurturing practitioner with excellent communication skills, you will provide effective support and supervision to mainstream foster carers, ensuring they have the support they need to care for the children who live with them.

You will also ensure the completion of comprehensive and high-quality foster carer reviews.

Signs of Safety is our practice framework supporting consistent practice across Childrens Social Care and all of our partners, which is designed to help you slow down your thinking so that robust evidence-based assessment and analysis guides your practice.

For more information about childrens Social Work in Durham, visit www.durham.gov.uk/childrenssocialwork

We encourage you to contact John Ellison (Team Manager - Fostering Support, South) on 03000 263988 or email [email protected] to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• Degree in social work or equivalent social work qualification, e.g. Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (PDDipSW) Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW), Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), Certificate in Social Services (CSS)
• Current Social Work England Registration
• Successful completion of the Assessed and Supported Year in - Employment (ASYE)

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.

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

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 Childrens Barred List and Adults 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, adults, or both.

INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held on 16th November 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.

HOW TO APPLY
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.
Please visit our website to understand our position on using AI to support to your application and for guidance on completing your application.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email [email protected]

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from [email protected]. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you dont miss any updates.

CONNECT WITH US
Follow us on Instagram

Like us on Facebook

Visit our website