Senior Social Worker

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL; Reigate; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Reigate is seeking a Senior Social Worker for its new Adolescent Service. This role involves working collaboratively with families and partners to support adolescents in various challenging situations. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from £52,884 to £56,175 per annum, alongside extensive benefits including relocation support and generous leave provisions. Ideal candidates should have a Qualified Social Work degree, SWE Registration, and at least three years of post-qualified experience.

Benefits

Competitive relocation package of up to £8,000

Payment of Social Worker England Registration fee

28-30 days annual leave

Access to car lease scheme

Lifestyle discounts including gym and travel

Employee Assistance Programme

Paternity and adoption leave

Learning and development resources

Qualifications

• You must have a Qualified Social Work degree and SWE Registration.
• You should be a car driver with a valid UK license.
• You need to have UK social work experience and three years post-qualified experience.

Responsibilities

• Work with skilled, passionate, and supportive Team Managers.
• Build relationships with families and partners to support young people.
• Address adolescent risk outside of the home.

Skills

Qualified Social Work degree

SWE Registration

UK social work experience

Three years post-qualified experience

Car driver with a valid UK license

Education

Qualified Social Work degree

Job description

We have a great opportunity for a Senior Social Worker to join our fantastic new Adolescent Service team based in Reigate.

The salary range for Senior Social Workers is £52,884 - £56,175 per annum. This is inclusive of a market supplement of £5,000. We also offer a financial package of up to £6,000 which is payable in 3 instalments across your first 18 months in post.

Our Offer to You

• A competitive relocation package of up to £8,000
• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' 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 car'er 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 Us

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a brand-new Adolescent Service that is being created in Surrey. This new service will bring together a range services for young people including those who go missing, are involved in gang culture and are vulnerable to exploitation, including criminal and sexual exploitation. Our team includes Social Workers and Adolescent Practitioners who are focussed on achieving positive outcomes for young people. We are committed to doing things differently through implementing a brand-new model for working with adolescents, taking into account current research and best practice.

Our Progress

We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. In relation to our Adolescent Service the report highlights that: "The intensive and highly effective support provided to children and families by adolescent team social workers, intensive family support workers and edge of care workers enables children to remain living with their families when it is safe to do so and in their best interests." and that: "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey."

If you are considering your next professional opportunity and looking for an ambitious and highly motivated employer who is continuously striving for better services for children and young people, then our Surrey Children's Services would love to hear from you.

About the Role

We are looking for enthusiastic people who want to be part of the journey to help shape services in Surrey for adolescents. You will have support from a range of teams in a central hub to compliment the work that you do. This includes Youth Justice, Missing, Edge of Care and Rapid Response, Intervention Support, Risk and Intelligence and Youth Offer. As part of the latter phase of the safeguarding adolescents model, partnership colleagues from Education, Health, Police and other agencies will join the hubs as part of the commitment towards adolescents services in Surrey.

You will work with skilled, passionate, and supportive Team Managers and colleagues, looking at innovative ways to address adolescent risk outside of the home, building relationships with our families and partners so the voices of our young people are heard.

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 (no more than 200 words per question)

• 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 in your view, are challenges that young people face today? Please tell us how you see the role supporting with them?

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

Next Steps

If your application is shortlisted, you will invited to a short first round virtual interview to explore your answers to the above questions (lasting approx. 15- 20 min), If successful following this, you will 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.