Social Worker - RIACT, Adult Services
Job Summary
Contract Type:
Fixed Term
Working Pattern:
Full time
Advert Start Date:
16/09/2026
Advert End Date:
29/09/2026 23:59
Salary:
Full time equivalent salary Band 9 £36,581 - £39,481 per annum / Band 10 £40,444 - £43,149 per annum / Band 11 £44,253 - £47,665 per annum
Job Category:
Social Care - Adult Service
Employment Location:
Hundens Lane Darlington
Further Information
RIACT TEAM - 1 x Social Worker, fixed-term post for 18 months
Are you a passionate, newly qualified or experienced Social Worker looking to join an ambitious, evolving team? Do you believe in empowering people to live safely and independently in their own homes? If so, we would love to hear from you.
Our hospital social work service is undergoing an exciting period of transformation, with a strong commitment to a Home First approach. We are building a forward-thinking team of motivated professionals who share our vision of supporting individuals to maintain independence and achieve the best possible outcomes after a hospital stay.
We are currently recruiting a Social Worker to join our service, working within our newly designed reviewing team. The role involves undertaking reviews and supporting individuals after discharge, or those requiring a further period of assessment before returning home safely. RIACT incorporates multiple functions within the team and promotes rotation to develop as a practitioner; this includes supporting the intermediate care beds, reviewing team, and hospital discharge team.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking Social Workers who are:
Newly qualified or experienced and confident in adult social care practice.
Experienced in hospital social work or short-term assessment teams (desirable).
Enthusiastic and motivated about improving outcomes for individuals and families.
Resilient, with the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Adaptable and positive about service development and change.
Committed to partnership working across health and social care.
Passionate about promoting independence, dignity and person-centred practice.
The Role
As part of our team, you will:
Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to support safe, timely discharges.
Undertake strengths-based assessments, supporting people to return home wherever possible.
Engage with individuals and their families to develop creative, person-centred plans that maximise independence.
Support reviews and reassessments, ensuring appropriate support is in place after discharge.
Contribute to service transformation and help shape the future of hospital social work.
Why Join Our Team?
This is an exciting time to join a service that is:
Innovative and forward-thinking.
Supportive and collaborative.
Committed to continuous improvement.
Focused on achieving the best outcomes for people and their families.
If you are looking for a role where you can make a genuine difference, be part of a supportive team, and help drive positive change, we would love to hear from you.
Joss Harbron, our Assistant Director for Adult Social Care says “Darlington has an established and successful track record in adult social care, where high challenge comes with high support. There is strong engagement with citizens and strong partnerships and collaboration across the directorates. I believe we deliver strong visible leadership, with clear governance, accountability and in a culture which welcomes active contributions from the teams whilst delivering high performing services.“
In May 2025 Adult Social Care in Darlington was CQC rated Good achieving an overall score of 73%
This is what CQC said about us –
“There are open and transparent relationships with senior leaders and staff felt they had the ability to challenge and influence policies and practice. Leaders had an impact on staff retention, and we heard reports of a positive workplace culture.
There were good preventative measures in place with a Responsive Integrated Assessment Care team (RIACT), which provided a thorough assessment with very positive results. There were no delays to hospital discharge and the data around reablement and outcomes following discharge were better than the national average.
We found staff were creative and supported people to remain independent in a person-centred and strength-based way.
There was a clear focus in the local authority on providing short-term support to prevent longer-term care. Leaders and partners agreed there was a strong relationship around hospital discharge and the local authority’s work in reablement and short-term interventions was well regarded and effective. They had a consistently low number of discharge delays with high performance in reablement delivery and outcomes. There was a clear process map for reablement for staff handling referrals.
Staff said the local authority was a good place to work, highlighting positive relationships and career progression, including apprenticeships and the step-up to social work program. Staff who had worked elsewhere said they appreciated the good workplace support and feeling looked after, heard, and listened to. Supervision was always available, and there was a focus on wellbeing”.
If you are an enthusiastic and dynamic professional, who brings passion and commitment to achieving the best for the most vulnerable people and have experience in working within health and social care we would like to hear from you.
We have a strong commitment to professional development throughout all our Adult Service areas, with a training programme that is workforce-led and has strong links to supervision, appraisal and audit.
The rewards for working at Darlington Borough Council go beyond the salary you will receive; we have numerous additional benefits such as:
- 32 days Annual Leave, plus Bank Holidays, with option to purchase additional Annual Leave (pro-rata for part time working)
- Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme with option to make Additional Voluntary Contributions
- Flexi-time scheme
- Flexible working
- Generous Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave schemes
- Staff equality forums
- Green Car Leasing Scheme (if applicable)
- Access to a wide range of training, learning and development
- Physiotherapy service
- Confidential counselling service
- Great wellbeing offer
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Dolphin Centre Fit for Life Discounts
- Local and National retailer discounts
- Vivup employee benefit app and Lifestyle Savings
- Arriva Employee Travel Club
For the full range of benefits we offer, please see our Why work for us internet page, which also includes our Total Reward Booklet and Employee Benefit Video.
https://www.darlington.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/why-work-for-us/
Find out further information about us and what it’s like to work for our great team by visiting the Jobs and Careers home page.
https://www.darlington.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/
For detailed information on this role, please refer to the Role Profile and Person Specification.
Provisional Interview dates for this post will be 6th October 2026
The posts will require an Enhanced DBS check with Adults barred list.
General Information for Applicants:
For a further informal discussion and any queries around the role profile and jobs itself please contact Sarah Appleby, Team Manager for RIACT via email on sarah.appleby@darlington.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact RIACT Senior Practitioners Shauna Ferguson and Rachel Whitfield via email shauna.ferguson@darlington.gov.uk / Rachel.Whitfield@darlington.gov.uk
If you have any further questions regarding applying for this role or the questions and required fields within the application form, please contact the HR Support team on 01325 403217 or HR@darlington.gov.uk.
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We are an equal opportunities' employer. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We aim to interview any applicant who declares a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job.
Please note Darlington Borough Council do not currently offer sponsorship.