Social Worker - Mental Health

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Surrey County Council as a Social Worker in the Mental Health Social Care Duty Team. This role focuses on supporting residents with mental health needs through assessments and direct interventions. Enjoy a competitive salary, continuous professional development, and a range of benefits in a supportive working environment.

Benefits

26 days' holiday, rising to 31 days

Employee Assistance Programme for health and wellbeing

Generous local government salary related pension

Lifestyle discounts on gym and travel

2 paid volunteering days annually

Qualifications

• Registration with Social Work England required.
• Experience in mental health is preferred.
• Commitment to professional development and legislative knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Conduct assessments of service users' social care needs.
• Provide direct social work intervention to clients.
• Collaborate with partners to facilitate care pathways.

Skills

Assessment skills

Risk management

Mental health understanding

Education

Professional qualification in Social Work

Job description

This role has a starting salary of £40,929 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring two Social Workers to join our fantastic Mental Health Social Care Duty Team. The team is currently based in Leatherhead although will soon be relocating to Dorking. Our current vacancies are:

• 1 x Permanent Social Worker
• 1 x fixed term/secondment contract up to February 2026

We are proud to consider ourselves a supportive and friendly team with a strong commitment to supporting residents who present with mental health needs and as a result struggle to meet their social care needs. We are strongly committed to working in a strengths-based way; we are forward thinking and have a strong ethos of partnership and continuous professional development. The team works flexibly with the expectation that all staff work at least 2 days in the office per week pro rata.

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 plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Covering the whole of Surrey, the Mental Health Social Care Duty Team (MHSCDT) is the central point of access for referrals into mental health social care in Surrey. This includes professional referrals, self-referrals, third party referrals and police reports. We undertake triage and screening of the referrals, complete social care and carers assessments and undertake welfare visits when required. We also work closely with residents and carers, as well as with our colleagues in the longer-term Mental Health Social Care teams and with other internal and external partners to support the residents of Surrey to access the appropriate pathway for their needs.

About the Role

As a Social Worker in the MH Social Care Duty Team, you will be expected to have a good knowledge of the Care Act; experience in assessing the social care needs of service users and provide direct social work intervention to service users with some of the most challenging and complex needs.

You will provide effective support to individuals with mental health needs using a strength-based approach to enable individuals to live as independently as possible with more choice and control.

You will need to be flexible to work in a busy and sometimes challenging environment and will be supported to do so, benefiting from a structured induction programme.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• Professional qualification in Social Work and current registration with Social Work England.
• Successful completion of an ASYE programme if qualified as a social worker after June 2012.
• Experience or an understanding of mental health, including assessment and risk management skills
• Working knowledge of current legislation, assessments, preparation of care plans, undertaking placement reviews, monitoring and reviewing outcomes.
• Commitment to your own professional development, including maintaining up-to-date knowledge of mental health issues.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and you are 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.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 15th June 2025 with interviews to follow.

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.

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.

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!

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.