Young Carers Practitioner

About the Role

At [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities. We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today. [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] deliver the Young Carers services in County Durham and Darlington. The services ensure that children and young people are not disadvantaged by their caring responsibilities and they have the support they need to learn, develop and thrive, to enjoy positive childhoods and to achieve their potential. We are seeking a Young Carers Practitioner who will offer support to young carers, working with families to make a huge impact and support the young people to ensure they have the same life opportunities as their peers.

Main Responsibilities

• Completing Young Carers Needs Assessments or Young Adult Carers Assessments which will inform a package of support which is tailored to the young person and their family’s specific needs.
• Support delivered through one-to-one sessions, home visits, school, college or university visits, telephone support and small peer support sessions with other local young carers and young adult carers.
• Deliver age-appropriate focused events and support groups to provide peer support and learning with partner agencies.
• Operate a whole family approach at all times, as well as supporting and sign posting to other family members.

Main Requirements

• Enthusiasm, a creative approach to work and an ability to engage positively with a wide range of people and ages.
• A sound knowledge of child/young adult development, safeguarding, and the assessment process is essential as is sharing our commitment to co-production.
• Qualified to a level 3 or above with a recognised professional qualification in social work, health, education or equivalent.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Appointments are subject to [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Benefits

• An annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays
• Up to 6% matched-pension contributions
• Flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment
• Enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
• Eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

How to Apply

Click the ‘Apply’ link below and fill out our digital application form. Closing Date: Friday 12th June 2026 at 23:59. Interviews are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 1st July 2026 in Bishop Auckland. For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal].

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required. We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role, and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.