Therapeutic Social Worker

This is a really exciting and rare opportunity to join us in Durham as a Therapeutic Social Worker in our Full Circle Team.

You will be working with children and young people with complex backgrounds who have had negative childhood experiences and are not doing as well as we would expect, even though they are now safe from harm. You will:

• Undertake individual and dyadic therapeutic work with children and young people to support them to heal from trauma.
• Deliver therapeutic parenting support to adoptive parents and carers, promoting placement stability.
• Deliver attachment and trauma-based training to a wide range of professionals and those who use our service.
• Provide professional consultation in relation to needs and trauma informed care planning.

You will be joining us at a fantastic time. Inspectors have just judged our Childrens Services as outstanding and social workers told inspectors that Durham is a great place to work. Their words and actions convey a sense of belonging and they view Durham as their employer of choice.

You can read the full report here

If you are interested in applying for this role on a secondment basis please speak to your line manager before applying to ensure that you can be released from your permanent role for the duration of the contract.

If you think this might be the right job for you please contact Louise Woolfe, Team Manager for an informal discussion about the role. You can contact Louise by e-mail at

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 will ensure you are highly supported. You will benefit from high quality professional supervision, a great induction, and access to our strong learning and development offer. If you are looking to take a step into management our aspiring managers programme rising stars is there for you.

We encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance.

You can find out more about social work in Durham here.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

You will need to be an experienced social worker, and we particularly welcome applications from those who:

• Have a good understanding of child development and the impact of trauma
• Are Interested in child mental health
• Are experienced in therapeutic work with relevant qualifications
• Are empathic, reflective and analytical
• Are able to work effectively with children and their parents/carers to improve relationships

Please see the person specification for more details.

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

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 people and offer support throughout the recruitment process..

INTERVIEWS

Interviews are expected to take place on 16 January

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.

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.

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. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on , or via email

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

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