Team Manager of Senior Mental Health Social Workers

Surrey County Council; Old Woking; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government body in England seeks a Team Manager for Senior Mental Health Social Workers. This role will enhance practice links within Children's Services and drive mental health training for partners. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in mental health and strong leadership skills. This permanent position offers a competitive salary of £54,636 per annum, with generous benefits including holiday entitlements and a supportive work environment promoting collaborative and hybrid working.

Benefits

26 days' holiday, increasing with service

Local government pension

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development resources

Wellbeing discounts

Qualifications

• Substantial experience at a management level within mental health.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act and safeguarding frameworks.
• Ability to manage teams and lead clinical supervision.

Responsibilities

• Oversee allocation of social care referrals to the team and ensure timely response.
• Deliver training on mental health and emotional wellbeing to partners.
• Line management of a team of Mental Health Social Workers.

Skills

Leadership

Supervision

Communication

Problem solving

Collaboration

Education

Qualified Social Worker or equivalent

Job description

Overview

This role will contribute to the implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme, by helping build and maintain new and existing partnerships across the Surrey health landscape. This role will drive a proactive, collaborative approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health, influence strategic development and deliver training to partners across the system and ensure monthly group supervision and reflective spaces are convened to discuss complex circumstances and themes.

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two 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.

We're delighted to be expanding our Mental Health Social Work offer within Children's Services and are now recruiting for a Team Manager of Senior Mental Health Social Workers. This role will strengthen practice links between Children's Services and Mindworks, enhance resilience within the team and improve outcomes for vulnerable children. We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 2 days per week on average (40% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time.

Responsibilities

• Oversee allocation of social care referrals to the team and ensure timely triage and response.
• Attend complex strategy meetings where mental health is a feature, support discharge planning and embed trauma‑informed practice.
• Deliver training on mental health and emotional wellbeing to internal and external partners.
• Attend relevant provider collaborative and public health meetings, disseminating key learning and thematic insights.
• Produce quarterly impact reports and annual training offers to inform service development.
• Line Management of a team of Mental Health Social Workers.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker or equivalent level professional qualification plus substantial experience at a management level.
• Significant experience in mental health practice.
• Strong leadership and supervisory skills, including clinical supervision.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multi‑agency systems.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and safeguarding frameworks.
• Excellent communication, problem‑solving and organisational skills.

Compensation & Benefits

This permanent role has a starting salary of £54,636 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

• 26 days' holiday, 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.
• A generous local government salary related pension.
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year.
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave.
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources.
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping.
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.