Description
Are you looking for a well-supported first post working with children and young people (CYP)? If so, Surrey with our Good Ofsted outcome could be a great fit for you!
The starting salary for this role is currently £37,995 perannum based on a 36-hour working week.
A further financial package of £6,000 also available on completion of your Assisted and Supported Year in Employment with us.
We are currently welcoming Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) to join Surrey Children's Services as part of our Spring 2026 cohort. The programme is planned to start on the 18th of May 2026.
We also have an Autumn ASYE Programme planned
Key Dates (2026)
1. Programme start: October 2026
2. Applications open: April/ May 2026
3. Interviews: June 2026
To be alerted when recruitment for our Autumn campaign goes live, please register your details via this 30‑second MS form and the team will be in touch to share an update with you once the campaign goes live
Our Location and Teams:
Surrey is a large and vibrant county that borders with Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west, please refer to the map attached to understand more about our geography.
We have opportunities to join a range of our children's teams which are located across the county. When applying, please indicate which of the locations and teams available, you would be willing to be considered for.
Locations:
4. Northeast area office based in Weybridge, covering Elmbridge, Spelthorne and Epsom & Ewell
5. Southeast area office based in Reigate, covering Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge & Mole Valley.
6. Northwestarea office based in Wokingcovering Woking, Surrey Heath & Runnymede.
7. Southwest area office based in Guildford covering Guildford & Waverley.
Teams:
8. Assessment
9. Family Safeguarding
10. Adolescent Safeguarding (operate on North, East or West basis & different offices in these areas)
11. Children with Disabilities
12. Children Looked After
13. Fostering
You will be required to travel to the office where your team is based and within a geographical area to undertake direct work with children, young people and families, to attend meetings and training as required. When not working with our children and families in the community, we support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility whilst maximising learning opportunities for you as a Newly Qualified Social Worker and responding to service needs. We invite you to discuss this with us further at interview.
About Our ASYE Programme:
Our programme is well established and well resourced, supported by a capable team of experienced social work staff and managers. Across the 12 month programme you can expect regular reflective supervision from both your Team Manager and ASYE Assessor who will guide and support you to develop your knowledge base. You will have the opportunity to develop your professional skills and confidence for a career in frontline social work.
Our recent Ofsted inspection judged our Childrens Services as 'Good' The report recognises that "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey." and that "Children's social care services are led by an impressive, highly motivated, resilient and established leadership team, whose members have been relentless and successful in their quest to improve the quality and consistency of social work practice in Surrey." You can read the full report
We are proud of the recent Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. This positive feedback highlights our commitment and progress, focused on making a positive difference for children and families.
Upon successful completion of the ASYE programme with us, there will be an opportunity to progress your career with Surrey County Council and tap into our Post-Qualifying Year 2 programme which supports you beyond the completion of your ASYE. You can expect ongoing support from the Children's Academy team, continued peer learning and support, and career development as you hone your skills and build your professional confidence.
You are able to find out more about what Surrey has to offer by visiting our
NQSWs who undertake the ASYE programme with Surrey will have access to:
14. Induction and Support
15. A comprehensive ASYE Academy Induction programme and Team Induction.
16. Allocated Advanced Social Worker as ASYE Assessor, in addition to the operational Team Manager.
17. Graduated Supervision offer with increased support in the first six months.
18. Graduated workload reaching a 90% allocation by the end of programme.
19. Monthly one-to-one or group reflective supervision with ASYE Assessor.
20. Access to our Children's Quality Practice and Performance Service to develop skills in social work practice.
21. Learning and Development opportunities
22. Monthly ASYE Learning Events focusing on Post Qualifying Standards (KSS).
23. Two days a month Protected Development Time.
24. Access to Community Care inform and Care Knowledge learning platforms.
25. Access to Surrey Safeguarding Children's Partnership training programme, our wider Academy learning & development offer, plus bespoke Court Skills for Social Workers & Domestic Abuse training for NQSWs.
26. Access to a secure SharePoint hub for collaborative working and access to up-to-date resources.
Other Benefits:
27. 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
28. We pay your Social Work England registration fee for any registration period when you are employed with us.
29. Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
30. A generous local government salary related pension
31. Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
32. Parental, adoption and dependents leave
33. An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
34. Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
35. Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
36. A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents
Shortlisting Criteria:
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our :
37. You hold a Social Work qualification such as a Degree, Masters or Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (or will be about to obtain any of these)
38. You are (or will be) registering with Social Work England and have permission to work in the UK following your studies, without requiring employer visa sponsorship.
39. Your experience of working with children, young people and their families, e.g. voluntary work / transferable work experience skills / social work placements etc
40. That you qualified within two years of the NQSW cohort commencing in May 2026 (If you qualified earlier than May 2024 your application will not be considered)
41. You hold a current valid UK driving licence and will have access to a vehicle when taking up employment with us
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our to get an insight into working at Surrey.
Surrey is a large and diverse organisation, ambitious about safeguarding children and young people and ensuring they and their families receive the right support at the right time. We have both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be 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.
Contact Us
The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday the 8th of February 2026 with shortlisting planned for W/C the 9th of February 2026.
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a face-to-face interview at one of our area offices. Interviews are planned to take place W/C 2nd March 2026.
We are committed to promoting a supportive and inclusive recruitment process therefore if your application is shortlisted, interview questions/ themes will be shared with you in advance, to help support with your preparations.
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.
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:
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.
Files to download