Participation and Engagement Officer (INTERNAL ONLY)
£34,811 per year
Participation and Engagement Officer
(Children and Families Services, South Tyneside)
£34,811 pa
About Us:
At South Tyneside Council, we are committed to working with children, young people, and families to build safe, resilient communities. We are looking to develop our nationally recognised participation offer with the recruitment of a new Participation & Engagement Officer.
Our service is focused on empowering children, young people and families to lead their own change through inclusive participation and engagement activity, and more widely, family-led decision-making. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team that is transforming how we work with children and young people - placing relationships, trust, and collaboration at the heart of everything we do.
As Ofsted recognised earlier this year, ‘Participation is a particular strength in South Tyneside … As a result, children are able to positively influence service development and have their voices heard’.
The Role:
You will be joining an ambitious and forward-thinking Children’s Service with a strong commitment to relational and restorative practice. As a Participation & Engagement Officer, you will facilitate high-quality engagement opportunities for children and young people, one to one and in groups, ensuring wide ranging and inclusive involvement that reflects the broadest cohort of young people. You will champion the voice of the child, promote inclusive participation, and foster safe, non-judgemental spaces for dialogue and planning. This vacancy will have a specific focus on cared experienced children and young people, leading on our care leaver engagement.
You will be responsible for:
If you are confident and skilled in participation and engagement and committed to ensuring the voices of children and young people influence practice and service development, we would love to hear from you.
We offer an excellent benefits package and further information is available here – www.southtyneside.gov.uk/workinghere
For more information about the role, please contact Mark Benson - Participation and Engagement Lead at mark.benson@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 07484 543937
We look forward to welcoming you to our team and working together to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families in South Tyneside.
South Tyneside Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure will be sought along with other relevant pre-employment checks.
We do not currently offer skilled worker visa sponsorship.
To view our Privacy Notice please visit: https://southtyneside.gov.uk/article/2780/Privacy-notice-for-job-applicants
Please note that if you apply for this role, all communication regarding your application will be sent to the email address that you have registered with North East Jobs, please ensure you check your junk mail.
Closing date: Friday 23 October 2026 – 5.00pm
Interviews will take place on: Tuesday 10 November 2026
(Children and Families Services, South Tyneside)
£34,811 pa
About Us:
At South Tyneside Council, we are committed to working with children, young people, and families to build safe, resilient communities. We are looking to develop our nationally recognised participation offer with the recruitment of a new Participation & Engagement Officer.
Our service is focused on empowering children, young people and families to lead their own change through inclusive participation and engagement activity, and more widely, family-led decision-making. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team that is transforming how we work with children and young people - placing relationships, trust, and collaboration at the heart of everything we do.
As Ofsted recognised earlier this year, ‘Participation is a particular strength in South Tyneside … As a result, children are able to positively influence service development and have their voices heard’.
The Role:
You will be joining an ambitious and forward-thinking Children’s Service with a strong commitment to relational and restorative practice. As a Participation & Engagement Officer, you will facilitate high-quality engagement opportunities for children and young people, one to one and in groups, ensuring wide ranging and inclusive involvement that reflects the broadest cohort of young people. You will champion the voice of the child, promote inclusive participation, and foster safe, non-judgemental spaces for dialogue and planning. This vacancy will have a specific focus on cared experienced children and young people, leading on our care leaver engagement.
You will be responsible for:
- Coordinating and facilitating participation activities and events, including preparation, logistics, and follow-up.
- Promoting restorative principles such as empathy, respect, and curiosity in all aspects of your work.
- Supporting the implementation of a wide-ranging participation programme, spanning care experienced young people, South Tyneside Youth Council, and SEND, as well as parent/carer engagement.
- Maintaining accurate records, collating engagement statistics and feedback, and producing reports evidencing service development as a result of the voice of children and young people.
- Lead on care leaver engagement, including weekly, monthly and annual activities and events.
- Ensure the voice of the child is central to all participation work, informing both the offer to children and young people as well as practice development across the service.
- Build trust and inclusive participation with children, young people, families and professionals.
- Promote safeguarding and ensure all activity is safe and inclusive.
- Champion restorative practice across Children’s Services.
- Contribute to service improvement and quality assurance.
If you are confident and skilled in participation and engagement and committed to ensuring the voices of children and young people influence practice and service development, we would love to hear from you.
We offer an excellent benefits package and further information is available here – www.southtyneside.gov.uk/workinghere
For more information about the role, please contact Mark Benson - Participation and Engagement Lead at mark.benson@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 07484 543937
We look forward to welcoming you to our team and working together to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families in South Tyneside.
South Tyneside Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure will be sought along with other relevant pre-employment checks.
We do not currently offer skilled worker visa sponsorship.
To view our Privacy Notice please visit: https://southtyneside.gov.uk/article/2780/Privacy-notice-for-job-applicants
Please note that if you apply for this role, all communication regarding your application will be sent to the email address that you have registered with North East Jobs, please ensure you check your junk mail.
Closing date: Friday 23 October 2026 – 5.00pm
Interviews will take place on: Tuesday 10 November 2026
Attachments
Salary range
- £34,811 per year