The starting salary for this role is £35,730 per annum for working 36 hours per week.
We are delighted to be offering an opportunity for a Senior Practitioner to join our new Children's Residential Home in Dorking. This is a fantastic opportunity for a qualified Residential Worker to join our ambitious service, where they will be well supported to develop their career in care and further enhance their knowledge and leadership skills, as part of a well-established and caring service.
Rewards and Benefits
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
An extensive Employee Assistance Programme to support health and wellbeing
Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
A generous local government salary related pension
Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
2 paid volunteering days per year
Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
Refer a friend payment of £750 as a thank you for finding the right residential workerOur Home
Our home in Dorking will be the 4th new home we have brought online to provide safe spaces for children and young people to remain, or return to live, in Surrey. Dorking compromises of a four bed home providing care and support for children and young people presenting with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD).
The Role
In this role, you will be part of a dedicated team supporting young people to ensure their safety and well-being. Our young people often have complex needs, making the work both challenging and rewarding, with no two days being the same. As a committed provider, we are steadfast in our belief that working alongside children and young people, regardless of the challenges they face, is invaluable. We are dedicated to providing consistent care and support, even during tough times, knowing the positive impact it can have.
As a Senior Practitioner you will provide pivotal support to our Deputy Home Managers, staff and team around the children and young people we support. You will lead the way in improving outcomes and ensuring that our home is a safe and nurturing environment where our children and young people can thrive.
You will support the home by providing expert advice and creative opportunities to access resources that enhance the purpose and well-being of our children and young people.
In all that you do, you will ensure our services are compliant with national good practice, guidance, regulations and legislation, including Ofsted frameworks. You will also contribute to regular audits and inspections to ensure that we are effective and delivering key outcomes.
In return for your expertise, commitment and experience we will enable your ongoing learning and development through a culture of high support and high challenge, and access to a range of learning and development activities.
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position your CV and answers to the questions below will clearly evidence:
A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or equivalent, with the expectation to work towards completing level 5 in Management and Leadership
Your ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with children, adolescents, their families and professionals
An applied knowledge of contextual children's safeguarding and associated issues
Proven experience of multi-agency working
Demonstrable competence in effective assessment, risk management and strengths-based care planning
Experience of delivering statutory childcare services including the residential care of children and knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and Quality StandardsAs part of your application, you will be asked to submit a CV and answer the following questions:
Please tell us what has motivated you to apply for this role?
Please tell us about the skills and experience you have of providing children's residential care?
Please tell us about any experience you have of multiagency working and why this is important.
The work we do is very challenging (but rewarding). Using an example tell us about a time when you dealt with a challenging work situation effectively. What was the outcome and what did you learn from it?Working in our homes represents a unique opportunity to support our children and young people with their everyday lives. To do this safely you will be asked to tell us about any allergies you have that may need to be reasonably managed to ensure your safety and wellbeing with minimal impact to the children and young people we care for.
Our Requirements
Due to our legal obligations, we can only accept applications from people 22 years old and above.
Surrey has both urban and rural areas and our residential workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle, to support our young people to attend appointments, activities or trips as agreed. 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.
This advert closes at 23:59 on the 31st August 2025 with interviews to follow.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
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 are committed to the safe recruitment of staff in our Residential homes across Surrey therefore if you are successful in being offered a role within our service, we will work with you to collect all required checks in line with government guidance.
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.
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 formOur 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