* Category: Care - Children and Young People
* Contract type: Fixed term
* Working hours: 36 hours per week
* Posted on: 8 September 2025
* Location: Leatherhead Library, Leatherhead, KT22 8DP
Description
We are committed to the development of our workforce.This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.
This role has a starting salary of £47,884 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.This is a 9-month fixed term contract / secondment opportunity.
We are excited to be hiring a new Mental Health Senior Social Worker to join our fantastic Adolescent Mental Health team. This role is hybrid, accommodating a mix of opportunities to work from home and on-location directly with children and families in a range of environments across the county.
Rewards and Benefits
* 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), 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 (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
* Up to 5 days of carer\'s leave per year
* Paternity, adoption and dependents 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
About the Role
The team are based within the Adolescent Service Central hub, a multi-disciplinary function designed to support work with children and families who may require additional input due to the nature of the issues they face. The MHSW team provide practical support to children with complex presenting mental health needs and important consultation and advice services to practitioners seeking support for the children they work with.
As the Senior Social Worker, you will contribute to the delivery of multi-agency response for children and young people with complex mental health needs, bringing a social care perspective to the work of the CYP Community Teams. You will be providing a range of interventions including consultation, reflection, joint case working, participation in case reviews, assessment of need, mental health assessments, care planning and intervention to support and protect children and young people with mental health difficulties and their families.
You will be required to attend any statutory meetings in relation to any social care cases where your involvement would be beneficial including professionals meetings, Child Protection Conferences, Core Group meetings and Child in Need meetings with a particular focus on ensuring that the emotional and mental health needs of children\'s social care cases are met effectively.
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:
* Professional social work qualification, CQSW or Diploma in Social Work (Dip SW)
* Registered with Social Work England or in process of registration
* Experience or knowledge of evidence-based practice in Family Therapy, Counselling, Mental Health, Solution Focused Therapy or similar
* Sound experience of undertaking direct therapeutic work with children and young people, working with parents, families, carers and the networks to achieve optimal outcomes for children and young people
* Experience of providing professional reflective supervision
* In depth and up to date applied knowledge of relevant national and local policy, statutory guidance and legislation in relation to the provision of social care services.
Contact Us
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.
For an informal discussion please contact Rob Wyatt.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 22/09/2025 with interviews to follow.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
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.
The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about our behaviours.
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. OurLife at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.
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 form
Our 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.
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