Family Support Worker - Looked After Children

Job Introduction

The starting salary for this full-time, permanent position is £34,660 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

We are pleased to tell you about a great opportunity to join Surrey County Council's South East Children Looked After Team as a Family Support Worker, based in Reigate. This role is open to hybrid working meaning you aren't required in the office 5 days a week, we'd welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what remote working may look like for you.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service plus bank holidays
• 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

As a Family Support Worker, you will support Social Workers in the team, working intensively and in a planned way, with the young person, their carers, and other agencies and services. Supporting children to achieve their potential will be central to all you do. You will undertake direct work with children, their carers, and support Social Workers in their role. Being able to work in partnership and use your skills to engage with children in a meaningful way will be key in this role.

As a member of the team, you will work alongside partners, agencies and the voluntary sector to support children and their families in care. This is a varied and challenging role but one which is hugely important and has real social impact. You will receive training to ensure your confidence, competence and professional development. You will also receive a full induction and monthly supervision.

Your Application

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

• Vocational qualification level 3/4 or equivalent in relevant fields, with experience of working with children and their families
• Some understanding of relevant legislation affecting working with Children, including the Children Act (1989) and the Children and Families Act (2014)
• A commitment to working with children to improve the quality of their lives
• The ability to plan, manage, and prioritise a caseload
• The ability to work effectively and flexibly as part of a team and a willingness to provide guidance and assistance to less experienced or more junior members of staff
• Tenacious in driving change for families and children to realise their full potential

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.

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 30.10.2026 with interviews planned to follow.

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.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

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 Vrushali Pendharkar via email at Vrushali.Pendharkar@surreycc.gov.uk

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.

Attached documents:

• Family Support Worker - Job Description.pdf - Family Support Worker - Job Description

Salary

£34,660 - £36,943 per annum

Working conditions

Contract: Permanent N/A

Working hours: 36 hours per week