Family Group Conference Coordinator

Surrey County Council; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK is seeking a Family Group Conference Coordinator to join their expanding team in Woking. This hybrid role involves coordinating family decision-making meetings and supporting families in navigating social services. A starting salary of £32,512 per annum is offered, alongside generous benefits like 28 days of holiday and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

28 days' holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Lifestyle discounts

Learning and development hub

Qualifications

• Experience in Family Group Conferencing principles.
• Confidence in chairing meetings.
• Ability to advocate for children and young people.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Family Group Conferences.
• Support families in decision-making meetings.
• Travel across Surrey as needed.

Skills

Facilitating meetings

Managing conflict

Building relationships quickly

Collaboration with multi-agency

Education

Level 3 qualification in relevant subject

Job description

• Category: Care - Children and Young People
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 36 hours per week
• Posted on: 17 September 2025
• Location: Woking, Surrey

Description

The full-time, permanent position has a starting salary of £32,512 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring a new Family Group Conference (FGC) Coordinator to join our fantastic expanding team.

This role is hybrid with a combination of home and office working when required. On average we work in the office two days a week, meeting for team meetings eery other Thursday in person too.

As a team we are based in Woking but cover the whole of Surrey so the ability and willingness to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day/week is essential. There may also be occasional evening work according to needs of the families we support.

We are very ambitious for our service and supporting families in Surrey. We offer FGCs to families who are receiving support and intervention from social workers as well as expanding our support to families receiving support from at Early Help level, as well as exploring support to Care Leavers.

Rewards and Benefits

• 28 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 31 days after 5 years' service.
• 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 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

The FGC team supports children and their families, when referred to the service, to be part of family decision making meetings. Families could be in different stages of live, needing some support from the family support network to manage getting children to school or support over the weekend to give a parent a rest or break. Or a family could be struggling with everyday life, children who may be at risk of coming into care, children in care and care leavers; anywhere where a plan involving the wider family and friends' networks will be of benefit to the safety and wellbeing of the child or young person. A family group conference (FGC) is a process which enables a family and their support network to come together to make a plan to address concerns about their child's welfare or presenting needs within the family. FGCs work by helping families resolve concerns, keep children safely within their family network and avert children from the care system.

About the Role

We are looking for a Family Group Conference Coordinator to join our well-established FGC team in Surrey. As a Family Group Conference Coordinator you will be thorough in all aspects of work and will help us to continue our proven record and achieve future targets.

Working as part of the Quality Practice, Relationships and Support service, you will deliver a critical front facing service that supports the effective delivery of the right services at the right time for our children, young people and their families. You will be co-located in Woking with colleagues from supporting agencies and delivering a partnership approach to services.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject and/or evidence of substantial experience in a relevant field
• Confidence in facilitating and chairing meetings and managing conflict
• Understanding Family Group Conferencing, principles of family decision making and social care legislation
• Confident in working within a multi-agency environment and commitment to improving effective direct work interventions with families
• Experience of and proven ability to build positive relationships with children and young people quickly by understanding their lived experiences to advocate on their behalf.
• Strive to share learning and collaborate with practitioners and partners to achieve positive outcomes for children and their families

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:

• Can you provide an example of how you've worked within a multi-agency environment to support a child or young person? What was your role and what impact did your involvement have?
• What is your understanding of Family Group Conferencing and how do its principles align with current social care legislation?
• Tell us about a time you built a positive relationship with a child or young person quickly. How did you approach understanding their lived experience and advocating for their needs?

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

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 05/10/2025 with interviews to follow.

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

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

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to new unitary councils in April 2027. Your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of these new councils, 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!

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.