Senior Social Worker

• Category: Qualified Social Work - Adult's
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 36 hours per week
• Posted on: 22 January 2026
• Closing date: 15 February 2026
• Location: Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8EF

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 permanent role has a starting salary of £47,884 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We have a great opportunity to join our East Learning Disability and Autism team as a Senior Social Worker. We support hybrid working with the right balance, and we come together in person for 1 day per week on average (20% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Optionto buy up to 10 days ofadditionalannual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leaveand 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.

We have a vacancy in our Learning Disability and Autism East Teambased in Woodhatch, Reigate. We are looking for a competent Senior Social Worker to join our allocations team working with complex cases in order to meet their desired outcomes. This includes managing and prioritising a complex case load, legal court work, partnership working with our health colleagues, completing Section 42 enquiries, supporting the team with professional development and supervising junior members of the team to ensure a high quality standard of service is provided.

Our team offers a positive, supportive working environment where training and development is prioritised. We would like to hear about your substantial post-qualification professional experience as a Social Worker and your experience of providing professional supervision.

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

• Advanced Assessment & Decision‑Making:Ability to carry out and quality‑assure complex assessments, including safeguarding enquiries, Mental Capacity Assessments, Best Interests decisions, and Care Act assessments. You should be able to analyse risk, apply legislation confidently, and make sound, defensible professional judgements.
• Leadership & Practice Development:Ability to provide practice leadership within the team, offering guidance, mentoring, and support to newly qualified social workers, students, and colleagues. You will will be required to model high‑quality practice and contribute to improving standards across the service.
• Safeguarding Expertise
  - Skills:
  
  Ability to lead safeguarding enquiries, coordinating multi‑agency responses, and ensuring legal and procedural compliance.
• Skilled Communication & Relationship‑Building:Effective communication skills with individuals, families, and professionals, adapting your approach for people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, or communication barriers. You will be able to manage conflict constructively and ensure you remain neutral.
• Multi‑Agency Coordination & System Navigation:Ability to confidently work across health, housing, commissioning, and provider services. You should evidence an understanding of Surrey's internal pathways—such as CPMM, brokerage, and specialist teams—and use this knowledge to coordinate holistic, person‑centred support.

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

• Describe a complex case you managed. What made it challenging, and how did you approach it?
• What process do you follow when identifying, analysing, and managing risks in a case?
• Have…