Duty Team Manager

Surrey County Council; Westcott; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the United Kingdom seeks a Duty Team Manager to oversee the Children's Assessment Team. Responsibilities include managing incoming contacts, ensuring allocation aligns with service policies, and leading safeguarding discussions. The ideal candidate should possess a Qualified Social Work degree, SWE registration, and relevant social work experience. The role promotes agile working for flexibility, fostering connections within the team while supporting families effectively. Benefits include generous leave, employee assistance programs, and training opportunities.

Benefits

28 days annual leave, rising to 31 after 5 years

Option to buy up to 10 additional leave days

Employee Assistance Programme

Generous local government pension

Lifestyle discounts

2 paid volunteering days

Refer a friend payment of £1,000

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Work degree and SWE Registration required.
• UK social work experience is essential.
• Evidence of supervising students or qualified staff is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Manage contacts coming into the North East Assessment Team.
• Delegate tasks to duty social workers.
• Lead on identifying children at risk of harm.

Skills

Social Work experience

Pressure handling

Supervisory skills

Multi-tasking

Education

Qualified Social Work degree

SWE Registration

ASYE completed

Job description

Job Overview

We have a great opportunity for a Duty Team Manager to join our Children's Assessment Team based in Dakota, Weybridge. The salary range for Team Managers is £54,636 - £58,953 per annum based on a 36 hour working week. When not working with our residents in the community, we are keen to support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility but ensuring you feel connected to your team and the service., Our Duty Team Manager is responsible for managing the contacts coming into the North East Assessment Team via both the Multi Agency Partnership (MAP) and the Request For Support (RFS) and ensuring these are allocated and managed in line with Surrey thresholds, policies and procedures. You will delegate contacts to duty social workers and will be responsible for the allocation of children to social workers across the assessment service, and where necessary lead on the identification of children who are at risk of immediate harm, facilitating strategy discussions in line with agreed processes to ensure a timely response to any safeguarding concerns. You will also work closely with the other Team Managers as part of the management team within the North East Assessment service and will be expected to provide cover to other Team Managers as and when required to ensure cover across the service and ensuring the monthly rota for the duty social workers is covered.

About working in Assessment The first contact any family or professional has with our assessment service sets the tone for our entire working relationship with them. Our practice across the whole service is based upon consent, strong relationships with families and with partners who are also supporting our families. Using motivational approaches the assessment social worker engages with both the family and the network supporting them to understand the presenting worries and work out whether a statutory social work service is required. If not, a plan to support the family at a lower level of need will be put in place to meet the need of the child and family.

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. Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council

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

Our Progress We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. The report highlights how strong assessments in Surrey consider children's histories and involve social workers spending time alone with children to understand their experiences." Our strong training and development offer in Surrey "helps to equip staff with the understanding, knowledge and skills that they need to practice in a kind, sensitive, motivational and respectful way and that staff feel highly valued, are proud to work for children's services." You can read the full report HERE.

• 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
• Substantial post-qualified experience
• Evidence of supervising (students and practice educator) or supervising other qualified staff, 3. Working in an Assessment team can be quite fast paced, unpredictable and often requires multi-tasking. Using an example, please tell us how you cope under pressure?
  28 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker