Assistant Team Manager

• Title: Assistant Team Manager - Family Help
• Positions: 2
• Salary: £49,464 - £52,864 per annum plus an additional market supplement payment of £5,000
• Category: Qualified Social Work - Children's
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 36 hours per week
• Posted on: 10 November 2026
• Closing date: 22 November 2026
• Directorate: Children, Families & Lifelong Learning
• Location: Dakota, 11 De Havilland Drive, Brooklands, Weybridge, KT13 0YP

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 salary range for this full-time permanent position is £49,464 - £52,864 per annum, plus an additional market supplement of £5,000 per annum.

We're excited to be hiring 2 Assistant Team Managers to join our Family Help Service.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced social worker to step into a key leadership role, supporting practitioners to deliver high-quality, strengths-based services that help children, young people and families achieve positive and lasting change.

• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• Access to bespoke learning programmes via our dedicated Children's Services Academy to empower and enrich your practice
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker
• 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

The Families First Partnership Programme is transforming the way support is provided to children and families in Surrey. As part of a national reform programme, it is focused on earlier help, stronger partnership working and better outcomes for families.

At the heart of the new model is Family Help, bringing professionals together to work more collaboratively, reduce duplication and provide more joined-up support. This is an opportunity to join a service that is shaping a more integrated, relationship-based approach to working with children, young people and families.

For practitioners, this means being part of an ambitious and evolving model designed to support confident practice, clearer decision-making, stronger multi-agency working and more time focused on direct work with families.

As an Assistant Team Manager within Family Help, you'll play a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of high-quality services for children, young people and families who require targeted support and intervention.

Working closely with the Team Manager, you'll provide practice leadership, coordination and line management within the team, helping to ensure children and families receive timely, effective and strengths-based support. You'll support the progression of work at Targeted Early Help and Section 17 level, championing relationship-based practice and helping practitioners deliver purposeful interventions that improve outcomes and reduce the need for escalation.

You'll have line management responsibility for a group of Family Support Workers, Family Help Practitioners and Qualified Social Workers, providing reflective supervision, promoting professional development and creating an environment where practitioners can thrive.

A key part of the role will be working collaboratively with families and partner agencies, including education, health and community services, to ensure support is coordinated, holistic and responsive to changing needs.

• Providing practice leadership and support, delivering reflective supervision and management oversight to line-managed staff
• Supporting high-quality practice at Targeted Early Help and Section 17 level, ensuring plans are purposeful, regularly reviewed and focused on achieving positive outcomes
• Promoting strengths-based, relationship-focused practice in line with Surrey's approach and the principles of the Families First Partnership Programme
• Supporting practitioners to engage families experiencing complexity, challenge or heightened levels of need
• Working closely with education, health and community partners to deliver coordinated support through whole-family plans
• Supporting effective decision-making and the consistent application of thresholds
• Contributing to quality assurance activity, audits and service improvement initiatives
• Chairing Child in Need and Team Around the Family meetings where appropriate
• Supporting the Team Manager with service delivery, workflow oversight and operational decision-making

This is an exciting time to join Surrey as Family Help becomes central to the way we support children and families. You'll be part of a service at the forefront of change, helping to shape a more joined-up, relationship-based and effective approach to family support.

At Surrey, we're committed to creating an environment where social workers can do their best work. You'll join a supportive leadership team that values collaboration, learning and continuous improvement, with access to excellent development opportunities to help you progress your career.

We're looking for a qualified and experienced social worker who is passionate about helping children and families achieve positive outcomes through early intervention, effective support and strong professional relationships.

You'll bring substantial experience of working with children, young people and families in a statutory or comparable setting, alongside a strong understanding of child development, safeguarding, strengths-based practice and multi-agency working.

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

• A recognised social work qualification and registration with Social Work England
• Experience engaging families where there may be...