Senior Social Worker - Mental Health

Surrey County Council; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking Senior Social Workers to join their dynamic Northwest Mental Health Social Care Team. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop your career in a supportive environment, focusing on adult social care assessments and safeguarding. With a commitment to professional development, you will engage with service users to enhance their social skills and promote independent living. The position provides a competitive salary and generous benefits, including extensive training opportunities and a supportive team culture. If you are passionate about making a difference in mental health care, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Local government pension

Lifestyle discounts

Paid volunteering days

Training and Development opportunities

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Social Work and registration with Social Work England.
• Experience in safeguarding enquiries and assessments.

Responsibilities

• Conduct adult social care assessments and safeguarding enquiries.
• Collaborate with local Mental Health Trust and stakeholders.

Skills

Social Work

Mental Health Knowledge

Safeguarding

Professional Supervision

Community Assessments

Education

Professional Qualification in Social Work

Job description

• Location: Ashford Centre, Stanwell Road, Ashford, TW15 3DU

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 £46,399 - £49,588 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring Senior Social Workers to join our fantastic Northwest Mental Health Social Care Team. We have 2 vacancies:

• 1x 36 hour, permanent
• 1x 36 hour, 12-month secondment

The team is based in Woking and also has offices in Ashford and Runnymede. The Woking base will shortly be moving offices to Victoria Gate, Woking. Hybrid working is also offered with office attendance expected 2 days a week.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 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
• Training and Development – Superb opportunities for development including a Readiness Programme, Preceptorship, Structured Induction Programme and opportunities to apply for Approved Mental Health Professional training.

About the Team

We provide services to those whose primary need arise from their mental health in the areas of Runnymede, Spelthorne and Woking. We are a friendly and supportive team with values for collaboration, development and agile working. The team offer a supportive learning environment for a Senior Social Worker to expand their skills around complex case management within Mental Health.

We actively encourage you to develop within your role. We work in a fast-paced environment with a range of functions including safeguarding, case management, assessments and reviews. We offer a fantastic working environment where training and development is prioritised.At Surrey, we are proud to be leading the way in implementing new ways of working in personalisation and a recovery-focused strength-based approach. We are supportive of Social Work staff developing their careers as BIAs, AMHPs or Practice Educators

About the Role

This is an excellent opportunity for a Social Worker looking to develop their experience in a busy specialist service. We are looking for a Social Worker who is keen to work in a proactive, dynamic, friendly adult social care team that undertakes adult social care assessments and carers assessments, s.42 safeguarding enquiries and Mental Capacity Assessments. We work collaboratively with our local Mental Health Trust and other stakeholders.

We are committed to creating opportunities for service users to develop interpersonal and social skills through engagement in community activities. We work in a preventive capacity to reduce social isolation and seek to promote opportunities to enable re-integration and the development of independent living skills in mental health. Our goal is for our service-users to be able to be more in control of their care, making informed choices and being active citizens in their community.

Ongoing training and supervision will be provided as per the needs of the service and Surrey County Council policies. This is an interesting role where you can complete direct work with adults with mental health needs to make a difference.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• A professional qualification in Social Work and current registration with Social Work England
• Yoursubstantial post-qualification professional experience, including an understanding of Mental Health
• An applied knowledge of The Care Act and The Mental Capacity Act, alongside experience of working in complex situations using professional judgement and a range of interventions.
• Experience in carrying out safeguarding enquiries, carrying out assessments within the community and working with a diverse group of individuals and partner agencies.
• Experience of providing professional supervision
• A commitment to your own professional development.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and 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.

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.

For an informal discussion please contact Charlotte Macgregor by e-mail or on MS Teams.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26th May 2025 with interviews planned for 2 – 4 June 2025.

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

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

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.