Children's Senior Social Worker

Surrey County Council; Surrey Heath; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England is seeking a qualified Social Worker to join their Children's Services team. The role involves working closely with children and families, implementing the Family Safeguarding model, and supporting the social work workforce. Ideal candidates will have a Social Work degree, relevant experience, and a commitment to relationship-based practice. Competitive benefits include a relocation package, professional development opportunities, and a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Access to car lease scheme

Flexible work arrangements

Employee Assistance Programme

Competitive relocation package

Qualifications

• Must have a valid driving license and experience driving in the UK.
• Three years of post-qualification experience is required.
• SWE Registration is mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality social work practice for children's welfare.
• Collaborate with multi-agency teams in family safeguarding.
• Participate in ongoing training and development.

Skills

Qualified Social Work degree

Experience in child protection services

Effective communication skills

Motivational interviewing skills

Education

Social Work degree

ASYE completion

Job description

Our Offer to You

• A competitive relocation package of up to £8,000
• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• 28days annual leave, rising to 30days after 5years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Access to our car lease scheme
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker

About Surrey

Our Surrey Children's Services are actively working towards becoming a high-performing local authority, evidenced by the fact we are now starting to realise the positive impacts of the Family Safeguarding practice model in action with reductions in the number of children subject to child protection plans. We are working hard sustain and develop our progress and this is driven by the efforts of every member of our social care workforce from our business support and family support workers to our frontline practitioners through to leadership- all working together to create and sustain the right conditions for a positive culture and well-supported workforce equipped to deliver consistent and good quality social work practice for our children and families.

Our Progress

We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. The report highlights that our social workers are "skilled at building relationships with children who are subject of children in need or child protection plans. Creative direct work helps them to build a rounded understanding of children's daily lives." "They also build positive relationships with parents, enabling honest and sometimes difficult conversations." Overall "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey."

About our Family Safeguarding Service

Our Family Safeguarding service includes responsibility for our Family Safeguarding Model, Child In Need, as well as pre and court proceedings.

Within Family Safeguarding we use motivational interviewing, multi-agency approach under the Family Safeguarding model, where Social Workers, Family Support Workers, Domestic Abuse Practitioners, Recovery Workers, Mental Health Practitioners, and Psychologists collaborate closely to address family issues efficiently, reducing the need for referrals to other agencies.

To help us achieve our ambitions for children and families we are looking for dedicated, and compassionate practitioners who are child focused and committed to relationship-based social work to join us. If you are considering your next professional opportunity and looking to develop your skills and experience within child protections services we'd love to enable you to do that safely with us.

We strive to provide a supportive and dynamic work environment for our employees, that fosters growth, maintains work-life balance, and rewards efforts. We guarantee 5 days of CPD and have access to excellent research and development tools such as Community Care Inform, Care Knowledge and Research In Practice.

Why Choose Surrey?

Surrey is a large and ambitious local authority meaning we can draw from a range of available resources to support the delivery of our services to children and their families, but that's just part of it. It's our staff that truly make the difference day in day out and we'd like to share with you some of their insights as to why they choose to be part of Surrey Children's social care workforce.

Our staff highlighted that you can expect…

• Positive Team and Colleague Relationships - You'll have the opportunity to be part of a team that thrives on positive working relationships, where collaboration with supportive colleagues in your team, across the organisation and with key partners will enable and enrich your practice.
• Flexibility and Work-Life Balance - We are committed to agile working and trust you to adapt your schedule to suit your needs, balancing this against the need to visit your children and families. It is our expectation that staff attend the office at least 2 days per week.
• Opportunities and Support for Professional Development - You can benefit from a structured environment that encourages growth and development. You'll have access to ongoing training opportunities via our Surrey Children's Service Academy, including our coaching and mentoring scheme, a well-structured progression pathway, learning opportunities and reflective and task focused supervision.
• A Sense of Belonging and Familiarity - You'll be part of our welcoming and approachable social work family where you'll be able to draw on the knowledge of established team members to support your understanding of the local area and available resources, working for a team where your individual expertise are valued and where you can have fun together.
• A Focus on Wellbeing - We recognise that you are a valuable asset and key to unlocking the positive changes we aspire for with our children and families. The job you do is serious therefore we take your wellbeing seriously and recognise the need for reflective supervision where wellbeing is front and centre of the conversation.

Your Application, Our Inclusive Approach

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Qualified Social Work degree and SWE Registration
• Car driver with a valid UK license
• ASYE completed, within two years of qualifying
• UK social work experience
• Three years post-qualified experience

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and Social Workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

To apply you will need to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• Please tell us what has motivated you to apply for this role?
• Please tell us about the key skills and experience you will be able to bring to this role.
• What is your understanding of Surrey's Practice Model for family safeguarding? Can you describe the strengths and challenges of this model?

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 08.12.2025.

Next Steps

If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short virtual call to explore your answers to the application questions (lasting approx. 15- 20 mins) If successful following this, you will be invited for an in-person interview, allowing you to meet the team, check out your potential office and get a feel for what your journey might look like.

We are committed to inclusive recruitment. That's why, if you're invited to a face-to-face interview, we'll share the themes of the questions with you in advance. This way, you can prepare and feel comfortable, allowing you to confidently discuss your skills and experiences.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.