Children's Newly Qualified Social Workers

at  Surrey County Council

Job Introduction The starting salary for this role is currently £35,401* per annum based on a 36-hour working week. (*subject to pay review & may increase by October 2024 when the programme is due to start. A further financial package of £6,000 also available on completion of ASYE).

ARE YOU GRADUATING WITH A SOCIAL WORK DEGREE AND LOOKING FOR A WELL-SUPPORTED FIRST POST WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (CYP)?

We are currently welcoming Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) to join us as we start to build our NQSW cohort for 2024.

Our Location and teamsSurrey is a large and vibrant county that borders with Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west, please refer to the map attached to understand more about our geography.We have opportunities to join a range of our children’s teams which are located across the county. When applying please select your top 3 preferences from the following options:

• Based in Weybridge and located to the Northeast of Surrey, supporting those living in Elmbridge, Spelthorne and Epsom & Ewell we have our North Adolescent Hub, Assessment, Children Looked After and Leaving Care, Family Safeguarding or Intensive Family Support teams to choose from.
• Based in Reigate and covering the Southeast of Surrey, supporting those living in Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge & Mole Valley we have our East Adolescent Hub, Assessment, Children Looked After and Leaving Care, Family Safeguarding, Intensive Family Support or Fostering Teams to choose from.
• Based in Guildford and located to the Southwest of Surrey, supporting those living in the Guildford & Waverley boroughs we have our Assessment, Children Looked After and Leaving Care, Family Safeguarding or Intensive Family Support teams to choose from.
• Based in Woking and located to the Northwest of Surrey, supporting those living in Woking, Surrey Heath & Runnymede, we have our West Adolescent Hub, Assessment, Children Looked After and Leaving Care, Family Safeguarding, Intensive Family Support or Children With Disabilities teams to choose from. Our Adolescent Hub and Children With Disabilities teams also work across the South West area of Surrey.

We are currently remodelling our Adolescent Service. If you are interested in an opportunity within our Adolescent teams then please select this preference when applying and we will be able to provide further details about these teams and their locations if your application is shortlisted.
You will be required to travel to the office where your team is based and within a geographical area to undertake work with children, young people and families, to attend meetings and training as required. When not working with our children and families in the community, we support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility whilst maximising learning opportunities for you as a Newly Qualified Social Worker and responding to service needs. We invite you to discuss this with us further at interview.

NQSWs who undertake the ASYE programme with Surrey will have access to:Induction and Support

• A comprehensive ASYE Academy Induction programme and Team Induction.
• Allocated Advanced Social Worker as ASYE Assessor, in addition to the operational Team Manager.
• Graduated Supervision offer with increased support in the first six months.
• Graduated workload reaching a 90% allocation by the end of programme.
• Monthly one-to-one or group reflective supervision with ASYE Assessor.
• Access to our Children’s Quality Practice and Performance Service to develop skills in social work practice.

Learning and Development

• Monthly ASYE Learning Events focusing on Post Qualifying Standards (KSS).
• Two days a month Protected Development Time.
• Access to Community Care inform, Research in Practice, and Care Knowledge learning platforms.
• Access to Surrey Safeguarding Children’s Partnership training programme.
• Access to a secure SharePoint hub for collaborative working and access to up-to-date resources.

Rewards and Benefits

• 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service (plus bank holidays)
• 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 dependant’s leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• We pay your Social Work England registration fee for any registration period when you are employed with us.

About the programmeOur Surrey Children’s Services Academy ASYE programme for Newly Qualified Social Workers is a 12-month programme designed for you to embed learning from your studies and placements and to develop your professional skills and confidence for a career in frontline social work.
The programme is well resourced and supported by a capable team of experienced social work staff and managers. You can expect regular reflective supervision from both your Team manager and ASYE Assessor who will guide and support you to develop your knowledge base across various functional areas of practice.
In September 2023 Skills for Care, through their quality assurance report reflected that: “NQSWs at Surrey are active participants, throughout the life of the programme. From the moment of onboarding, the wellbeing of NQSWs is prioritised as they are made aware of the support structures available to them. NQSWs on the programme reported positive aspects which included support from their Assessors and teams, protected time for learning, reflective space, and training with other organisations”. We are rightly proud of the feedback from Skills for Care and equally keen to support the 2024 cohort of NQSWs in the same way, so would love to hear from you. You are able to find out more about what Surrey has to offer by visiting our Surrey Children’s Services Academy web page.
When you successfully complete your ASYE programme with us, there will be an opportunity to progress your career with Surrey County Council and tap into our Post-Qualifying Year 2 programme which supports you beyond the completion of your ASYE. You can expect ongoing support from the Children’s Academy team, continued peer learning and support, and career development.

Shortlisting CriteriaTo be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• You hold a Social Work qualification such as a Degree, Masters or Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work (or will be about to obtain any of these)
• You are (or will be) registering with Social Work England and have permission to work in the UK following your studies
• Your experience of working with children, young people and their families, e.g. voluntary work / transferable work experience skills / social work placements etc
• That you qualified within two years of the NQSW cohort commencing in October 2024 (If you qualified earlier than October 2022 your application will not be considered)
• That you are aligned with our Surrey Values

Surrey is a large and diverse organisation, ambitious about safeguarding children and young people and ensuring they and their families receive the right support at the right time.
Contact us Please contact us for any questions relating to the role via email at surreychildrens.academy@surreycc.gov.uk. This could be to discuss reasonable adjustments, understanding of the ASYE programme or Children’s Services structures in Surrey and the opportunities available to you.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 29th of May 2024 with shortlisting planned for W/C the 3rd of June 2024.
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a face-to-face interview at one of our area offices. Interviews are planned for W/C the 17th of June and 24th June 2024.
We are committed to promoting a supportive and inclusive recruitment process therefore if your application is shortlisted, interview questions/ themes will be shared with you in advance, to help support with your preparations.
If you are successful at interview, there may be the opportunity to start in an unqualified social work role prior to you receiving your SWE registration.
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. We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit. Our Values Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also attached provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.
Our CommitmentSurrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications 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

Please refer the Job description for details