Childrens Social Work Apprentices

Your Social Work career begins here 

We have Social Work Degree Apprenticeship opportunities across our teams and localities, where you will be supported throughout your three-year programme by a team of dedicated professionals.  

We are looking for people who have a genuine interest in relationship-based practice and a strengths-based approach to building effective relationships with children, families, and communities. If you are committed to making a difference to the lives of children and young people, we want to hear from you. 

The Social Work Degree Apprenticeship is a three-year practice-based learning programme that combines on- and off-the-job learning and development. As an apprentice you will develop the skills and knowledge to become a qualified social worker.

Through successful completion of this apprenticeship, you will gain:

• Practice experience and evidence of assessed competency in the workplace
• A professionally qualifying degree in Social Work
• The right to register with Social Work England and practice as a newly qualified social worker

In Dorset, the requirement is that candidates have:

• Right to work in the UK
• English GCSE or equivalent
• a minimum of 2 years’ experience of working in a face-to-face role with individuals and you must be able to demonstrate the potential to study at undergraduate degree level.

To be able to meet the assessed practice learning requirements, apprentices will need to work full time.

The ability to drive and access to your own transport is also essential for the role.

This post involves working with children and having access to significant information about them and will therefore be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. 

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.  

First stage interviews will be held over the end March 2026 and beginning of April 2026

If you are successful at the first stage, you will then be invited to apply to Southampton Solent University who provide the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship for Dorset Council and will then be required to attend an interview and complete skills tests with them.

We have 7 vacancies available for September 2026 start. You will be required to be in post with Dorset Council by then end of August 2026.

We are seeking to achieve a total of 7 applicants. Where successful and in line with the shortlisting criteria, we would hold 4 places for internal colleagues initially, and the remaining spaces for external colleagues. However, we would recruit further external candidates to those positions if those internal candidates did not meet the shortlisting criteria. 

An Information session regarding the apprenticeship and recruitment process will be held on Wednesday 18^th February at 4pm. You can register to attend on Eventbrite or you can contact Amy Trim at [email protected]  if you would like to attend and a link will be shared with you.

For any questions or enquiries please email [email protected]

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.