Social Worker

Durham County Council have exciting openings within the Community Mental Health Teams for permanent full time Social Worker based in the South Dales and Sedgefield Social Work Hub. We are seeking to recruit enthusiastic, passionate and committed Social Workers to deliver care for people who experience severe and/or enduring mental health difficulties. A Social Work position within a Community Mental Health Team is a rewarding and diverse role with a great opportunity for development.

The Service includes social work hubs with leadership from social care/social work team managers. The teams comprise of staff from both Adult Social Care and Health which ensures a more effective way to meet service user’s needs. We are keen to support qualified AMHPS or Social Workers who are interested in undertaking the training. We also have a very strong ASYE programme for Newly Qualified Social Workers as we are keen to develop our staff as we recognise that this increases positive outcomes for our community.

Durham County Council are a flexible organisation who care greatly about the welfare and work life balance of our staff. We have already been working closely with our local community and service partners to shape how mental health services will look in our area. The successful candidate will join us on this innovative journey and help deliver a new model of care in our local communities.

WHAT IS INVOLVED? The Community Mental Health Teams in Durham are leading the way in providing an integrated health and social care approach to supporting people with severe and enduring mental health problems and their carers. Our teams provide statutory and specialist interventions on behalf of both Durham County Council and Tees Esk and Wear Valley’s NHS Foundation Trust. The teams comprise of staff from the Adult Care service from Durham County Council and Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. You will have the opportunity to develop skills, training and knowledge from both organisations. You will join a multi-disciplinary team with professionals who bring a range of skills and knowledge and who are committed to providing a flexible and effective service to people with a range of mental health problems.

We encourage you to contact Natalie March, via email at natalie.march@nhs.net to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

WHAT WILL I NEED? You must have up to date knowledge of current legislation and Policies/Procedures in relation to Adult Health and Social Care. Required Qualifications: Dip.S.W., C.S.S. or C.Q.S.W. or equivalent and hold Social Work England registration or be applying. 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 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 Week Commencing 20th April 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 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 RecruitmentAHS@durham.gov.uk. All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.