Graduate Caseworker

Job summary

About us

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) helps people when things go wrong with public services. We make the final decision on complaints about UK Government departments and the NHS in England when they haven’t been resolved elsewhere.

Why this role matters: you will do meaningfulwork with real impact, understanding people’s experiences, working through evidence, and helping put things right when systems haven’t worked as they should. A role in which you can make a real difference.

Great for graduates: we are a fair, inclusive and supportive place to work. You will have structured learning, regular coaching, and the space to ask questions and build confidence as you go.

The role

As a caseworker, you will investigate NHS and Government department complaints and manage your own cases from start to finish.

You will:

• understand what the complaint is about

• review evidence and relevant information

• speak with the people and organisations involved

• decide whether the organisation acted properly

• explain your decision clearly and fairly.

Job description

Is this role right for you?

It is a role for people who enjoy careful, analytical thinking, reading and working through detailed information, weighing up evidence and producing clear, well-reasoned written outcomes. You don’t need specialist knowledge we will train you.

This role may not suit you if you prefer quick decisions, short pieces of work, or you dislike writing and working through detail.

With multiple vacancies available, you will start alongside other new graduates, learning and developing together.

Career progression

Caseworkers often move into senior caseworker roles, management, and our quality and training teams. Some of our Assistant Casework Directors started as caseworkers.

What we’re looking for:

• a recent degree (minimum 2:2 and within the last 3 years, graduating by August 2026) in any subject

• ability to read and understand detailed information (sometimes a lot of it)

• confidence to make fair decisions based on evidence, and explain how you reached them

• clear written and verbal communication (you will write a lot in this role)

• a calm, professional approach with people who may be upset or frustrated

• ability to manage your own workload and work towards targets, including progressing and closing cases within expected timeframes.

Person specification

Training and development

We don’t expect you to arrive with casework or investigation experience. We will give you the time, training and support you need to become confident in the role.

You will start with a structured training programme designed to get you role-ready, including:

• an introduction to PHSO and how we work

• how to assess complaints and make fair decisions

• how to write clear, well-reasoned outcomes

• support to manage your caseload effectively

As you settle in, you will continue learning through:

• regular coaching and feedback from experienced colleagues

• access to our internal training and quality teams

• opportunities to build skills that support your next career step

Development doesn’t stop once you’re up and running, we invest in you whether you want to deepen your expertise, move into senior roles, or explore other career paths within PHSO.

We recognise the value of lived experience. If you have experience of complaining about any public body, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Benefits

Benefits

• Civil Service Pension scheme

• 32.5 days annual leave

• Hybrid working (40% office-based)

• Flexible working

• Free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 advice and support)

• Comprehensive learning and development programme

• Employee discount scheme across hundreds of retailers

• Bicycle loan scheme

• Season ticket loan

• Gym membership subsidy

• Paid professional memberships

• Eye test reimbursement

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Key dates

• Start date: 19 October 2026 (no flexibility). You must be available for the first 3 weeks for training.

• Training: mix of office-based and virtual sessions; you’ll be in the office 3 days per week during the initial training period.

• Closing date: 28 June 2026

• Written online assessment task dates: 13 – 19 July 2026

• Interview date (in person): 03 – 14 August 2026

If the fixed start date doesn’t work for you, please keep an eye out for future recruitment (due to growth, we will be recruiting again in September) or register for job alerts on our careers page.

Virtual open day sessions (Microsoft Teams)

Join one of our virtual open days to hear from the team, learn more about the role, and ask questions.

Session 1: Tuesday 16 June 2026 at 17:15

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/39455791010930?p=vF1uWgLUr9MTpQ0V0P

• Meeting ID: 394 557 910 109 30

• Passcode: ef7dL3xD

Session 2: Thursday 18 June 2026 at 12:00

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/370411182826376?p=gccT67VXH2RqW6miAw

• Meeting ID: 370 411 182 826 376

• Passcode: MT9S6aB6

How to apply (and how to do well)

Application form

You will answer four scored questions. We use these to shortlist and longlist, so your answers matter.

• choose real examples (from studies, workplace, volunteering, placements or other experience)

• focus on what you did, not what “we” did as a group

• explain your thinking: what you looked at, what you decided, and why

• keep it clear and specific, avoid generic statements

The first question will used as an initial sift to longlist applications.

Please do not use AI to write your answers. We need to assess your own analytical and communication skills, and applications may be rejected if answers appear AI-generated.

If your examples are very short, mostly opinion-based, or don’t describe a specific situation and outcome, you are unlikely to score well.

Online written assessment

If shortlisted, you will complete a written assessment online. It is designed to reflect the role, including analysing information and writing clearly.

Inclusion & wellbeing

Equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are vital to the way we work and our culture. We want our colleagues feel included, valued, and supported at work. It is essential that we are representative and accessible for the people who work here and those who use our service.

Actions we take to embed this include:

• an anonymised shortlisting process to make sure it is fair and unbiased

• monitoring the demographic trends in our workforce and making measured, sustained efforts to improve our diversity at all levels

• providing wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development for all colleagues

• creating spaces for connection and engagement through our employee network groups and social clubs

• part of the disability confident scheme

• providing reasonable adjustments

• engaging in regular inclusion learning to enhance the cultural competency of our organisation.

We know the value of having diverse, representative teams across our organisation. Which is why we particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented within the team. These include people who are:

• Asian, Black, Mixed Ethnicity or another ethnic background

• disabled

• LGBTQ.

Contact and important information

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Ruth Gray (Operations Manager): Ruth.Gray@ombudsman.org.uk

• Interviews: held onsite

• Feedback: we do not offer feedback at application stage

• Right to work: we can only consider candidates with the right to work in the UK.

• Sponsorship: we are unable to offer sponsorship (we do not have a licence).

• Applications: we do not accept CVs—please apply via the application form (‘apply now’).

• Agencies: no agencies; applications from individuals only.

• Early closure: we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Important notice: fraudulent job postings

We have been made aware that some websites are falsely advertising job vacancies for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). We only advertise job vacancies through these official channels:

- our website

- LinkedIn

- Civil Service Jobs

- GOV.uk

- Indeed

- Ombudsman association

- BMEjobs.co.uk

- Disabilityjob.co.uk

- Neurodiversityjobs.co.uk

- LGBTjobs.co.uk

Do not share personal details with any other websites claiming to represent PHSO. Contact our recruitment team to report any concerns at recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Ruth Gray
• Email : Ruth.Gray@ombudsman.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk

Attachments

How to apply Opens in new window (pdf, 148kB)Caseworker role profile Opens in new window (pdf, 208kB)