Description
The salary range for this full-time, permanent position is £47,884 - £51,175 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.
We also offer a financial package of up to £6,000 which is payable in 3 instalments across your first 18 months in post. Information is available in the attached Total Reward Statement about other financial benefits.
This is a 9-5 qualified social work role, based at our Woking office, meaning you won't be required to travel to visit children, young people and families. This could make this role a good fit for anyone looking for greater flexibility around how they work.
We're excited to be hiring Advanced Social Workers to join our C-SPA (Childrens Single Point of Access) service which is the 'Front Door' to children's services in Surrey and plays a crucial role in ensuring the correct level of support and intervention is provided for any safeguarding referrals made to Surrey.
Our Offer to You
1. A competitive relocation package of up to £8,000
2. We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
3. 28 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
4. Access to our car lease scheme
5. Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
6. An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
7. A generous local government salary related pension
8. Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
9. 2 paid volunteering days
10. Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
11. Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
12. Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
13. Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker
Our Progress
We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. In relation to Children who are referred to our children's single point of access (C-SPA) the report highlights that "...they receive a timely and proportionate response. Practitioners and managers in the C-SPA routinely apply the authority's continuum of need guidance to inform decision-making, generating a consistent approach to contacts and referrals." "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey." You can read the full report
About Working in C- SPA
Our 'Front Door' for Surrey's Children's services is the first contact any family or professional has with our service and sets the tone for our entire working relationship with them. Our practice is front facing and based upon strong relationships with families and with partners who are also supporting our families. We use motivational approaches as well as principles of the Family Safeguarding Model, to engage with both the family and any networks supporting them, to understand the presenting worries and work out whether a statutory social work service is required.
About The Role
The work of Advanced Social Workers in the Multi Agency team within C- SPA can be rewarding but often complex in nature, gathering information and making enquiries as necessary to inform threshold decisions regarding the correct level of support required. As an Advanced Social Worker you will support more junior members of the team to effectively manage the referrals they receive.
Our Advanced Social Worker role provides aspiring Team Managers with the chance to gain valuable management and supervisory experience within qualified social care. In this position, you will step in for the Team Manager when necessary and mentor junior team members, helping them build professional confidence and skills by leveraging your own experience.
We are looking for individuals with professional curiosity and well-developed analytical skills to support us to deliver laser focussed, collaborative and timely front door activity, which ensures child protection and safeguarding matters are effectively responded to.
Joining Surrey as an Advanced Social Worker is an opportunity to be part of a culture in which children and families are supported in a spirit of partnership, where they encouraged to develop their own solutions while receiving the help and support, they need to address their needs from professionals.
Your Application, Our Inclusive Approach
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with :
14. Varied post qualification experience of working in children's social care services
15. Experience of and commitment to successful partnership working with statutory, voluntary and third sector partners to safeguard and support CYP and their families
16. Ability to work at pace in sometimes challenging and emotionally sensitive situations
17. Well-developed assessment and analytical skills with the ability to navigate and interrogate data to make well-reasoned and evidence-based decisions
18. Ability to communicate clearly and calmly with individuals, families and professionals
19. Proven ability to de-escalate situations
20. Proven ability to support and collaborate effectively with team members and other partners
21. Social Work qualification and Social Work England registration
To apply you will need to upload your CV and answer 4 application questions (no more than 200 words per question):
22. Please tell us what has motivated you to apply for this role?
23. Please tell us about the key skills and experience you will be able to bring to this role.
24. In this role, you will need to make decisions using your professional judgment and analytical skills. Please tell us about a time when you used your analytical skills to respond to a complex piece of casework.
25. Please tell us about any experience you have of mentoring, supporting, coaching or developing others?
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.
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and to get an insight into working at Surrey.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 04.01.2026.
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short first round virtual interview to explore your answers to the above questions (lasting approx. 15- 20 min). If your Teams call goes well, you will 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, so if you are 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 knowing what topics will be covered during the process, allowing you to focus and confidently discuss your valuable skills and experiences.
Contact Us
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.
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! Please see more information here:
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.
Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.
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