Adults Senior Social Worker - East 1 Area Team

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 starting salary for this role is £49,464 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring a Senior Social Worker to join our East 1 Area team, based in Reigate, Woodhatch. This is a hybrid role where the expectation is a minimum of 40% of the week in the office, as well as working in locations to meet the demands of the role as required. 

We are looking for individuals who share our values and are motivated to make a significant and positive difference to the lives of our residents.

If you come and work with us, you will find yourself part of an extremely friendly, forward thinking, supportive team where you will benefit from peer support and a strong focus on your career development. You will become an integral part of a team that supports people to achieve good outcomes by focusing on personalisation and a strengths-based approach.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (pro-rated for part time opportunities)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• 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

About the Team 

East Area 1 covers the geographical areas of Reigate, Banstead and Tandridge and as a part of the job role you will be expected to travel and case hold across the wider area and support our duty function.

We are a forward thinking and diverse team incorporating multi-agency and collaborative working to promote opportunities for team members and customers. We foster close working relationships with our health colleagues. We have good staff retention and excellent opportunities for career development as well as continued professional development within the team through reflective practice including team champion roles.

About the Role 

On a daily basis, you will be meeting with clients to understand their care and needs, how they can be supported in a person-centred approach and to provide the best outcomes for them. Your work may include a mix of complex case management but not limited to:

• S9 Care Act assessments
• S10 Carers assessments
• Mental capacity assessments
• Risk Assessments
• Multi-disciplinary meetings
• Safeguarding work
• Legal case management
• Partnership working closely with our community Health, charity and voluntary organisations.

East 1 Area Team is formulated with Allocation Workers and Duty Workers who collectively support across the Area Team as the need arises.

As a Senior Social Worker in Surrey, you will be expected to have strong experience in assessing the social care needs of service users, and provide direct social work intervention to some of the most challenging and complex service users and their carers. You will provide effective support to individuals using a strength-based approach to enable individuals to live as independently as possible with more choice and control. 

As part of the role you will be supervising members of staff within the team and supporting their development. In return for all your skills, enthusiasm and commitment we will support you to take your career to the next level. In turn, you will receive professional supervision and be working in a team of motivated, dedicated and friendly colleagues.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• A relevant degree and registration with Social Work England.
• Substantial post-qualification professional experience as a social worker is also required., preferably within Adult Social Care.
• Experience of providing professional supervision (can include unqualified and non-professional supervision).
• You will be motivated and flexible with high professional standards and sound knowledge and experience of current legislation and its application to practice in a social care setting.
• An applied knowledge of The Care Act and The Mental Capacity Act and experience of undertaking safeguarding enquiries is essential alongside experience of working in complex situations using professional judgement and a range of interventions.
• You will have experience of, and be able to provide, professional, reflective supervision, guidance and advice to less experienced social workers, including those completing ASYE and social work students.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and Area Team 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.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 3 questions:

1. What three qualities do you have that would make you a good Senior Social Worker and how do these qualities support Surrey County Council's culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and adaptability?
2. How would you promote continuous professional development within the team, and can you provide an example of how you have coached, mentored, or supported a practitioner to enhance their practice?
3. Please describe a complex case where you were required to assess and manage significant risk. What actions did you take, what challenges did you face, and what was the outcome?

Please ensure you answer questions fully as they will be considered as a part of the shortlisting process.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

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.

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 Bianca Kelly or Su Owens (Team Managers) via email or on MS Teams.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 12/11/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is East Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. 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.