Children's Senior Social Worker

We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. The report highlights that our social workers are "skilled at building relationships with children who are subject of children in need or child protection plans. Creative direct work helps them to build a rounded understanding of children's daily lives." "They also build positive relationships with parents, enabling honest and sometimes difficult conversations." Overall "Staff are well‑trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey."

About our Family Safeguarding Service

Our Family Safeguarding service includes responsibility for our Family Safeguarding Model, Child In Need, as well as pre‑ and court proceedings.

Within Family Safeguarding we use motivational interviewing, a multi‑agency approach under the Family Safeguarding model, where Social Workers, Family Support Workers, Domestic Abuse Practitioners, Recovery Workers, Mental Health Practitioners, and Psychologists collaborate closely to address family issues efficiently, reducing the need for referrals to other agencies.

To help us achieve our ambitions for children and families we are looking for dedicated, and compassionate practitioners who are child‑focused and committed to relationship‑based social work to join us. If you are considering your next professional opportunity and looking to develop your skills and experience within child protection services, we’d love to enable you to do that safely with us.

We strive to provide a supportive and dynamic work environment for our employees, that fosters growth, maintains work‑life balance, and rewards efforts. We guarantee 5 days of CPD and have access to excellent research and development tools such as Community Care Inform, Care Knowledge and Research In Practice.

Why Choose Surrey?

• Positive Team and Colleague Relationships – You’ll have the opportunity to be part of a team that thrives on positive working relationships, where collaboration with supportive colleagues in your team, across the organisation and with key partners will enable and enrich your practice.
• Flexibility and Work‑Life Balance – We are committed to agile working and trust you to adapt your schedule to suit your needs, balancing this against the need to visit your children and families. It is our expectation that staff attend the office at least 2 days per week.
• Opportunities and Support for Professional Development – You can benefit from a structured environment that encourages growth and development. You’ll have access to ongoing training opportunities via our Surrey Children’s Service Academy, including our coaching and mentoring scheme, a well‑structured progression pathway, learning opportunities and reflective and task‑focused supervision.
• A Sense of Belonging and Familiarity – You’ll be part of our welcoming and approachable social work family where you’ll be able to draw on the knowledge of established team members to support your understanding of the local area and available resources, working for a team where your individual expertise are valued and where you can have fun together.
• A Focus on Well‑Being – We recognise that you are a valuable asset and key to unlocking the positive changes we aspire for with our children and families. Your work is serious therefore we take your well‑being seriously and recognise the need for reflective supervision where well‑being is front and centre of the conversation.

Our Application

Your Application, Our Inclusive Approach : If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short virtual call to explore your answers to the application questions (lasting approx. 15‑20 minutes). If successful, you will then be 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.

Qualifications and Requirements

£52,884 – £56,175 per annum, inclusive of a market supplement of £5,000 and a financial package of up to £6,000 payable in 3 instalments across your first 18 months in post.

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Our Offer to You

Our Progress

Our Surrey Children's Services are actively working towards becoming a high‑performing local authority, evidenced by the fact we are now starting to realise the positive impacts of the Family Safeguarding practice model in action with reductions in the number of children subject to child protection plans. We are working hard to sustain and develop our progress and this is driven by the efforts of every member of our social care workforce from our business support and family support workers to our frontline practitioners through to leadership – all working together to create and sustain the right conditions for a positive culture and well‑supported workforce equipped to deliver consistent and good quality social work practice for our children and families.

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