Supervising Social Worker

Job description

Job Introduction

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 £43,633 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

An opportunity has arisen for a full time Supervising Social Worker specialising in the general Fostering Team based in Reigate. Although primarily based within in Reigate you will need to be prepared to travel around the county and beyond to meet the demands of the role.

You will be part of a creative and well supported fostering service that works with the theories of trauma, attachment and motivational interviewing to ensure the best outcomes for our children.

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 Role

The primary focus of the role will be supporting foster carer in the care of Looked After Children who are living with them. The role involves supporting foster carers who provide various types of fostering including EDT, Parent and Child Care, care for children with disabilities and short breaks and Mockingbird.

You are able to find out more about Fostering in Surrey via our dedicated Fostering pages - Surrey Fostering - Foster With Your Council .

As well as supervising foster carers, you will form part of a duty team completing initial viability and temporary foster care assessments and supporting with support groups and general tasks within the wider fostering team. This may include some weekend and evening work.

Self-motivated and accustomed to working to deadlines, you will have good IT and communication skills, with experience of establishing and nurturing multi-agency relationships.

Your Application

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

• Be a qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England
• Experience of working with children and young people and a comprehensive knowledge of legislation relating to fostering and Looked after Children.
• An ability to be able to work directly with the wider public, foster carers and children, and be able to produce clear, analytical assessments.
• Flexibility to be able to work evenings and weekends as the role may include attending recruitment events and home visits outside office hours.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and Social Workers 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 fulfill the requirements of the job.

To apply for this role you will be asked to upload your CV and respond to the following questions in support of your application:

1. What is your motivation to apply for this role
2. What experience you can bring to this role
3. What is important to you when working with fostering families and the children they care for?

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.

Next Steps

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 successful following this, 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. That's why, if you're 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, allowing you to confidently discuss your skills and experiences.

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 Louise Erskine or Elizabeth Charnock by email or on MS Teams.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday 4 th October 2026 with interviews 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 haveevidencedyou meet theminimum 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'recommitted 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.
Attached documents:

• Supervising Social Worker - Job Description.pdf - Supervising Social Worker - Job Description