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:
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28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
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Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
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Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
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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.
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Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
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Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
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A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
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Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
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Subsidised town centre car parking scheme
About the role
Could your lived experience of care be the key to improving support and outcomes for the next generation?
In this apprenticeship, you’ll become a vital part of the Children’s Rights Team — a team dedicated to championing the voices, rights and lived experiences of children in care and care leavers. You’ll play an active role in making sure young people are heard, included and empowered to shape the services that matter to them.
You’ll also work closely with the Social Work Academy, contributing to the development of newly qualified social workers. By sharing insights from lived experience, you’ll help strengthen practice and ensure the voice of the child is at the heart of social work.
While gaining hands on experience, you’ll work towards a Level 3 Youth Support Worker qualification, building skills that will support your future career in youth work, participation, social care or related fields.
In person interviews will be held on Monday 24th August
We welcome the opportunity to speak to any interested candidates so please feel free to email: [email protected] and they can agree a mutually agreeable time to call you
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
Working Pattern
This is a full-time apprenticeship working 37 hours per week, normally Monday to Thursday, 9:00am to 5:00pm and Fridays, 9:00am to 5:00pm. The role includes occasional evening participation groups and opportunities to support community events and training activities at weekends (once or twice a year). Flexibility will be provided to ensure working hours remain within the contracted 37-hour week.
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 (this means you have been looked after by a Local Authority, lived in foster care, residential care, kinship care under Local Authority arrangements, or are a care leaver. Experience of working with children in care or within Children's Services alone does not meet this requirement), 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
About us
At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.
We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.
We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.
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.
If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you.
Supporting Children – A Career That Matters
