Early Support Coordinator

Surrey County Council; Dorking; On-site; GBP 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in Dorking is seeking an experienced Early Support Coordinator to lead a team and support families with complex needs. The role involves managing Key Workers, coordinating services, and ensuring high-quality support for children. Candidates must have experience in providing person-centred support and managing teams. This position offers a salary of £45,680 per annum, along with diverse benefits and flexible working options.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Programme

Carer's leave

Generous pension scheme

Lifestyle discounts

Paid volunteering days

Learning and development resources

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the issues faced by families with young children who have complex additional needs.
• Experience in providing coordinated, person-centred support with families.
• Expertise in managing, coaching, and developing a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of 4 full-time Key Workers.
• Co-ordinate services for families with complex needs.
• Conduct consultations regarding referrals into the Service.

Job description

• Location: Pippbrook, 9 Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1SJ

Description

We are committed to the development of our workforce.This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This role has a starting salary of £45,680 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We are hiring an Early Support Coordinator for East Surrey to join our fantastic Early Support Service. Your office base will be in Dorking and you will be expected to travel to home and community settings across East Surrey. You will be provided with a laptop and mobile phone to support an agile work style. We are committed to providing a healthy work life balance, considering flexible working wherever possible.

Rewards and Benefits

• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents 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

About the Team

Early Support is a county-wide service consisting of 10 Early Support Key Workers and 2 Early Support Co-ordinators, covering the East and West of the County. The service will sit within the newly formed Early Intervention, Prevention and Support Service.

Early Support is committed to promoting positive futures and improve outcomes for young children 0-5 with complex health needs and disabilities. We co-ordinate a Team Around the Family in their local community that brings together services across health, education, and the voluntary sector. We work closely with statutory services to ensure families experience smooth transitions and a joined-up approach. We strive to build strong, trusting relationships with parents/carers and multi-professional teams to empower families and increase resilience.

About the Role

We are looking for a dynamic leader with excellent interpersonal skills to help lead and shape the Early Support East Team, whilst working closely with the West Early Support Co-ordinator, and wider partners across early years.

In this role you will lead, manage and support your team of 4 full time Key Workers who each hold a caseload of families and support the delivery of the Early Support Graduated Offer. You will provide a high-quality service which positively impacts on the inclusion of children with complex medical and or additional needs in their local community, Health and Education provision. You will jointly hold the responsibility of being the Safeguarding Lead for the Early Support Service across the county.

You will be responsible for consultations with a range of professionals regarding referrals into the Service and for allocating cases and thereafter regular case load reviews for management oversight with individual Key Workers. You will also manage performance reviews and supervision for your Key Workers. Additionally, you will be part of a supportive team with regular access to supervision and support from your Service Manager.

You will lead meetings for children with complex needs which could involve a high number of attendees and accompany Key Workers on initial visits. Your work will have a profound social impact, as you will be directly contributing to the development, well-being and inclusion of children with significant needs, helping them and their family to achieve their full potential.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by families with young children who have complex additional needs (including complex health needs and neuro-divergence, diagnosed or undiagnosed)
• Experience and expertise in providing coordinated, person-centred support with families
• Experience in successfully managing, coaching and developing a team.
• A successful track record of developing positive relationships and partnership working

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and you 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.

Application Questions

To apply, alongside your CV, you will be asked to answer the following questions:

• Please describe your understanding of the challenges faced by families with young children who have complex additional needs. How have you applied this knowledge in your previous work to support these families effectively?
• Can you provide an example of how you have delivered coordinated, person-centred support to a family? What approach did you take, and what impact did it have on the family's experience and outcomes?
• Tell us about a time you managed and developed a team. How did you support individual growth and ensure high performance across the team?
• Please share an example of how you have built and maintained effective partnerships with other professionals or organisations. What strategies did you use to foster collaboration and achieve shared goals?

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 25/08/25 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.