Care Experienced Apprentice in Youth Work

What will you be doing?

 In this role, you’ll:

•    Champion children’s rights and participation by helping young people influence decisions about their lives.

•    Engage and build relationships with young people, supporting their personal, social and educational development.

•    Help plan and deliver activities, sessions and projects that create safe, inclusive spaces where young people can grow in confidence and resilience.

•    Support outreach and engagement, which may include some evening or weekend activities.

•    Collaborate with the Social Work Academy, contributing to training and induction sessions that promote understanding of care experience and the voice of the child.

•    Promote equality and inclusion in everything you do, ensuring every young person feels valued and respected.

•    Maintain accurate records, work safely, and follow safeguarding processes to protect young people’s wellbeing.

•    Take part in training, reflective supervision and development opportunities as you complete your apprenticeship.

Everything you do will help create environments where young people feel confident, heard and supported

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

About you

 You’re passionate about making a difference — especially for young people who are care experienced. You bring your own lived experience of care, and you want to use it to shape better support, better services, and better outcomes for others.

You communicate well with both young people and professionals and enjoy working as part of a team, learning from others.

Motivated and reliable you are willing to get involved in a variety of activities and bring an understanding of the issues facing young people today, particularly those with care experience.

You follow guidance and work safely, especially when supporting vulnerable young people.

You believe in equality, inclusion and the importance of giving every young person a chance to be heard.

You’re comfortable using basic digital tools and open to building your IT skills as you grow in the role.

You have GCSE English and Maths or equivalent — or you are willing to work towards these during the apprenticeship.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check 

 When applying please ensure your supporting statement includes details on how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the job description person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do – in every decision we make and every action we take. Our mission is driven by the unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for them.  The Trust is wholly owned and funded but operationally independent from the Councils.

Our workforce are our most valuable asset and are pivotal to making the services and support we offer to children, young people and families who need us to be the absolute best we can be.

We value our colleagues and empower them to be able to do the best job of their lives every single day, working in a culture of support and kindness where achievements are celebrated and creativity is very much welcomed.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation.  We are a disability confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

Join our dedicated team and be a part of an organisation where your work makes a real difference.