Assistant Team Manager - Family Help

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. 

The salary range for this full-time permanent position is £49,464 - £52,864 per annum, plus an additional market supplement of £5,000 per annum.

We're excited to be hiring 2Assistant Team Managers to join our Family Help Service . We have 1 position available covering East Surrey based from our Woodhatch Place office in Reigate and 1 position covering West Surrey based from our Victoria Gate Office in Woking. You will be asked to select your preference during the application process.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced social worker to step into a key leadership role, supporting practitioners to deliver high-quality, strengths-based services that help children, young people and families achieve positive and lasting change.

Our Offer to You 

• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• Access to bespoke learning programmes via our dedicated Children's Services Academy to empower and enrich your practice
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

The Surrey Context 

The Families First Partnership Programme is transforming the way support is provided to children and families in Surrey. As part of a national reform programme, it is focused on earlier help, stronger partnership working and better outcomes for families.

At the heart of the new model is Family Help, bringing professionals together to work more collaboratively, reduce duplication and provide more joined-up support. This is an opportunity to join a service that is shaping a more integrated, relationship-based approach to working with children, young people and families.

For practitioners, this means being part of an ambitious and evolving model designed to support confident practice, clearer decision-making, stronger multi-agency working and more time focused on direct work with families.

About the Role

As an Assistant Team Manager within Family Help, you'll play a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of high-quality services for children, young people and families who require targeted support and intervention.

Working closely with the Team Manager, you'll provide practice leadership, coordination and line management within the team, helping to ensure children and families receive timely, effective and strengths-based support. You'll support the progression of work at Targeted Early Help and Section 17 level, championing relationship-based practice and helping practitioners deliver purposeful interventions that improve outcomes and reduce the need for escalation.

You'll have line management responsibility for a group of Family Support Workers, Family Help Practitioners and Qualified Social Workers, providing reflective supervision, promoting professional development and creating an environment where practitioners can thrive.

A key part of the role will be working collaboratively with families and partner agencies, including education, health and community services, to ensure support is coordinated, holistic and responsive to changing needs.

Key areas of responsibility:

• Providing practice leadership and support, delivering reflective supervision and management oversight to line-managed staff
• Supporting high-quality practice at Targeted Early Help and Section 17 level, ensuring plans are purposeful, regularly reviewed and focused on achieving positive outcomes
• Promoting strengths-based, relationship-focused practice in line with Surrey's approach and the principles of the Families First Partnership Programme
• Supporting practitioners to engage families experiencing complexity, challenge or heightened levels of need
• Working closely with education, health and community partners to deliver coordinated support through whole-family plans
• Supporting effective decision-making and the consistent application of thresholds
• Contributing to quality assurance activity, audits and service improvement initiatives
• Chairing Child in Need and Team Around the Family meetings where appropriate
• Supporting the Team Manager with service delivery, workflow oversight and operational decision-making

This is an exciting time to join Surrey as Family Help becomes central to the way we support children and families. You'll be part of a service at the forefront of change, helping to shape a more joined-up, relationship-based and effective approach to family support.

At Surrey, we're committed to creating an environment where social workers can do their best work. You'll join a supportive leadership team that values collaboration, learning and continuous improvement, with access to excellent development opportunities to help you progress your career.

About You

We're looking for a qualified and experienced social worker who is passionate about helping children and families achieve positive outcomes through early intervention, effective support and strong professional relationships.

You'll bring substantial experience of working with children, young people and families in a statutory or comparable setting, alongside a strong understanding of child development, safeguarding, strengths-based practice and multi-agency working.

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours :

• A recognised social work qualification and registration with Social Work England
• Experience engaging families where there may be resistance, complexity or heightened levels of need
• Experience of providing reflective supervision, practice oversight, or demonstrable readiness to take on a leadership role
• Up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance and practice frameworks
• Strong partnership-working skills and the ability to build effective relationships across agencies
• A commitment to developing others and maintaining high standards of practice

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and answer the following 4 questions:

1. Please tell us about what has motivated you to apply for the Assistant Team Manager role in Surrey's Family Help Service, and how do your skills, experience and values equip you to support positive outcomes for children and families?
2. Please describe a situation where you worked with a child, young person or family experiencing significant complexity or heightened levels of need. What approach did you take, how did you build engagement, and what was the outcome?
3. Please give an example of how you have supported, supervised or developed the practice of a colleague, student or other practitioner. How did you provide guidance and challenge, and what was the impact on their development?
4. Please describe a time when you worked with partner agencies to coordinate support for a child or family. How did you build effective working relationships and what difference did this collaborative approach make?

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and candidates will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, 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.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 7th of September with interviews planned to follow W/C 12th October 2026.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey Handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

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. Please contact Darlington Gwatidzo for questions relating to the position in East Surrey and Linda Mahlberg Goodhew for questions relating to the position in West Surrey.

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: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

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 shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, 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.