Children's social work careers

Targeting Resources to support children and families, to be resilient, to achieve and to live at home together. 

Our Vision drives the work that we do and we believe North Tyneside should be a Borough where:

• Children and Young People are respected, valued and listened to;
• Childhood is nurtured;
• Children and Young People are happy, healthy, confident and safe, and develop as enthusiastic learners and tolerant, compassionate individuals who are challenged and supported to be the best they can be;
• The power of learning is harnessed to transform the lives of individuals and regenerates our communities;
• Children and Young People grow in to successful adults

In partnership with Children, Young People and our Stakeholders we have developed a set of founding principles which are:

Children and Young People:

1. Come First
2. Have a right to be recognised as people with views and interests
3. Have a right to be protected from harm and discrimination
4. Have a right to develop as curious, enthusiastic and autonomous learners
5. Have a right to the best health possible and to appropriate medical care
6. Have a right to live and play in a safe, healthy environment
7. Have a right to an identity 
8. Should grow up in a family and community with equality of access and opportunity
9. Parents, carers and communities need to be supported in promoting the interests and welfare of their children and those in their communities
10. We never give up on a child or Young Person – no child should be viewed as a lost cause
11. Everyone should have the skills to find sustainable employment as adults.

Children’s services in North Tyneside have been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The landmark rating follows a rigorous inspection of its children’s social care services.

Inspectors assessed the council and its partners on the effectiveness of services to help and protect children, the experiences and progress of children in care – including adoption, fostering and the use of residential care – and care leavers.

And in the glowing report, social work is described as ‘thriving’ and ‘transformational’, children and families who need extra support are “really benefiting” from the services, while an “impressive level of investment in participation and engagement is empowering children and young people”.

The report also details how swift action taken by the council ensures at risk children are protected and safeguarded.

Inspectors also highlighted the council’s partnerships with others, such as the health services, police and educational teams, as a strength – with its multi-agency safeguarding hub commended for making sure children get the right level of help and protection at the right time. 

Staff also won high praise for making a difference to children’s and families’ lives, while leaders are hailed for their determination to make life happier and better for children and sharing a “relentless commitment” for continuous improvement within the service.

View the report.

Become part of a committed workforce that is relentless in their commitment to achieving better outcomes for our children, young people and families.

Staff joining North Tyneside will do so at a significant point in its improvement journey. We have restructured our service to ensure Social Workers benefit from being part of smaller teams which enables high quality, regular and reflective supervision and a focus on professional development and well-being. The structure will continue to deliver manageable caseloads and ensure clear decision-making accountability within a culture of high challenge and high support. 

Staff will be supported and equipped to practice using the Signs of Safety approach, use the Liquid Logic case management system and benefit from genuine partnership work, including a truly Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub at the Front Door.

As an employee of North Tyneside you will feel valued from the moment you join the organisation. We have a robust induction process to ensure you are supported in your role from day one. Our senior management team are experienced, extremely approachable and value your input. Your ideas and contributions are valued at North Tyneside and in return you will receive:

• £2,000 market supplement paid in addition to your salary
• Full time and part time positions – flexible working options available
• Access to:
  • Opportunities for training and development
  • Supported career progression 
  • Staff working at Cobalt Business Park can exclusively access the MORE Card which provides fantastic money saving offers across the region plus a calendar of events.

In addition to the above unique benefits you will also receive the following local authority benefits:

• an attractive annual leave entitlement which increases with length of service
• annual pay increments up to the top of your salary grade
• an enhanced sick pay scheme
• flexible working
• automatic membership of the  Local Government Pension Scheme
• childcare vouchers
• cycle to work scheme
• access to occupational health services
• access to our Learning Pool for extensive training and development opportunities

Find out more about why you should work for us

There have been positive changes in respect of senior management within safeguarding, and there is a renewed focus upon key social work values and practice improvement. This is being supported by the introduction of ‘Signs of Safety’. 

The views of frontline staff are being actively sought, and recruitment and retention is being given serious consideration. Within North Tyneside there are positive working relationships with partner agencies, this is particularly important and the advantage of being a relatively small authority.  

From a team perspective – workers within safeguarding are very committed and focused upon promoting positive outcomes for children. The two teams work well together and are supportive.

There is something really special about being part of the team in North Tyneside, the other social workers in the teams are really supportive of each other and this is reinforced by the support and encouragement we receive from our managers on a day to day basis.

I enjoy working for North Tyneside as a social worker as I feel thoroughly supported in my team by both my peers and management, in a social work role I think that this is extremely important as I don’t feel alone in the very difficult and challenging situations we can often face. 

I also thoroughly enjoy my role as a Safeguarding social worker as I feel that this is such a varied role, every day is different and provides me with experience in all areas of social work with children as well as adults.

Working as a Children’s Social Worker for North Tyneside Council means working as part of a close and supportive team, where you receive excellent supervision and training opportunities. Working in a reasonably small authority allows us to enjoy positive working relationships with partner agencies, and manageable caseloads enable us to build effective working relationships and to achieve positive outcomes for children and their families.

Victoria McLeod: Senior Manager Safeguarding
Telephone: (0191) 6435914
Email: victoria.mcleod@northtyneside.gov.uk

Nik Flavell: Senior Manager for Quality Assurance 
Telephone: (0191) 6437219
Email: nik.flavell@northtyneside.gov.uk

Jodie Henderson: Senior Manager LAC Resources and Leaving Care
Telephone: (0191) 6437388
Email: Jodie.henderson@northtyneside.gov.uk