Make a difference, work in children's social care.
Whether you're an experienced children's social care worker, at the beginning of your career, or planning a career change there's a perfect opportunity waiting for you to become part of our team.
How to become a social worker
Social work is a rewarding career where you can make a real difference to the lives of children, young adults, and their families in Northumberland.
Our approach is to support people, by listening carefully and building relationships with families facing challenging times. You will also need good observational skills, analytical thinking and sound judgement to make the right decisions to ensure the children under your care are safe, secure, and cared for.
Why choose Northumberland
Living in Northumberland is great value for money, offering affordable housing, good schools and great transport links to major cities.
Our economy boasts a growing, internationally recognised offshore and renewable energy hub, a rich tapestry of independent businesses, world-class attractions, visitor destinations, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our communities are vibrant and welcoming with distinctive characteristics, culture and heritage, and together we are working towards a cleaner, greener, sustainable environment.
Whether you enjoy surfing at the coast, eating at top-rated restaurants or experiencing vibrant nightlife, we believe there’s no better place to live and work.
Discover why Northumberland is a great place to live and work.
Our team's stories
Hear from our children’s social workers as they share their experiences and tell you about their social work journey.
Moving to Northumberland for work
Thinking of moving to Northumberland for work? From stunning coastlines to work/life balance, hear from members of our social work team who have made the move.
Men in social work
There’s a common misconception that social work is “women’s work”. Hear from our social work team on the importance of male role models in children’s lives.
Our approach
We are dedicated to supporting families in Northumberland to help them lead happy and healthy lives. Our commitment is to provide every child with equal opportunities, to enjoy a stable and happy home, access quality education and thrive.
Our focus is on delivering excellent services that are child-centred, collaborative, responsive, value-driven, and reflective. We work ‘with’ families not ‘to’ and are strong believers in empowering families to find their own solutions.
Choose Northumberland County Council
Choosing to practice social work in Northumberland will give you opportunity to develop, grow, and thrive. Here are some of the reasons our colleagues chose Northumberland County Council:
Rewards and benefits
Salary
We ensure fair pay for all staff, with examples of automatic pay progression to the top of the salary band, and an annual pay award.
26 days annual leave
Enjoy a generous annual leave entitlement of 26 days, in addition to public and bank holidays. As you gain more service with us, your annual leave allowance will increase to 31 days after 5 years continuous service.
Discounts
Access local government discount schemes through our not-for-profit partner CSSC that offer savings at various local businesses and national brands. Our staff can also take advantage of our salary sacrifice scheme to purchase vehicles, bikes, electrical goods and more.
Family Leave
We go beyond the minimum statutory requirements to provide additional family leave. Our managers understand the importance of work-life balance and will actively support you with your family commitments.
Company pension scheme
We will automatically enrol you into the Local Government Pension Scheme, allowing you to save while you are working. It is one of the best occupational pension schemes in the UK, click here to find out more about our pension scheme.
Travel benefits
Enjoy free parking at council-owned car parks and buildings with a parking disk, ensuring convenience and accessibility. We also offer car leasing and access to the cycle to work scheme for council staff, providing flexible transportation options.
Flexible working
- Our flexible working policy allows employees to vary their working hours each day to reflect their personal circumstances. Employees can build up a debit or credit of hours, consolidate extra hours worked into a day or half-day off, or work shorter days to suit personal circumstances, if it still fits in with the needs of the service.
Staff networks
We are proud of the network groups that our staff can join. They are run by staff, for staff, providing opportunities for peer networking, mutual support and staff development: Armed Forces, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Carers, Enable Disability, Pride (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual+), Menopause, Mental Wellbeing and Racial Equality.
The top 3 questions we're asked
Find out our answers to some frequently asked Children’s Social Care questions.