Children's Newly Qualified Social Workers

Are you looking for a well-supported first post working with children and young people (CYP)? If so, Surrey with our Good Ofsted outcome could be a great fit for you!

The starting salary for this role is currently £37,995 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

A further financial package of £6,000 also available on completion of your Assisted and Supported Year in Employment with us.

We are currently welcoming Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) to join Surrey Children's Services as part of our Spring 2026 cohort. The programme is planned to start on the 18th of May 2026.

We also have an Autumn ASYE Programme planned

Key Dates (2026):

• Programme start: October 2026.
• Applications open: April/ May 2026.
• Interviews: June 2026.

To be alerted when recruitment for our Autumn campaign goes live, please register your details via this 30 second MS form and the team will be in touch to share an update with you once the campaign goes live Register Your Interest- Surrey Childrens Service- ASYE Programme Autumn 2026 - Collaboration.

Our Location and Teams:

Surrey 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 indicate which of the locations and teams available, you would be willing to be considered for.

Locations:

• Northeast area office based in Weybridge, covering Elmbridge, Spelthorne and Epsom & Ewell
• Southeast area office based in Reigate, covering Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge & Mole Valley.
• Northwest area office based in Woking covering Woking, Surrey Heath & Runnymede.
• Southwest area office based in Guildford covering Guildford & Waverley.

Teams:

• Assessment
• Family Safeguarding
• Adolescent Safeguarding (operate on North, East or West basis & different offices in these areas)
• Children with Disabilities
• Children Looked After
• Fostering

You will be required to travel to the office where your team is based and within a geographical area to undertake direct 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.

About Our ASYE Programme

Our programme is well established and well resourced, supported by a capable team of experienced social work staff and managers. Across the 12 month programme 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. You will have the opportunity to develop your professional skills and confidence for a career in frontline social work.

Our recent Ofsted inspection judged our Childrens Services as 'Good' The report recognises that "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey." and that "Children's social care services are led by an impressive, highly motivated, resilient and established leadership team, whose members have been relentless and successful in their quest to improve the quality and consistency of social work practice in Surrey."

We are proud of the recent Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. This positive feedback highlights our commitment and progress, focused on making a positive difference for children and families.

Upon successful completion of the 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 as you hone your skills and build your professional confidence.

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 opportunities
• Monthly ASYE Learning Events focusing on Post Qualifying Standards (KSS).
• Two days a month Protected Development Time.
• Access to Community Care inform and Care Knowledge learning platforms.
• Access to Surrey Safeguarding Children's Partnership training programme, our wider Academy learning & development offer, plus bespoke Court Skills for Social Workers & Domestic Abuse training for NQSWs.
• Access to a secure SharePoint hub for collaborative working and access to up-to-date resources.

Other Benefits:

• 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• We pay your Social Work England registration fee for any registration period when you are employed with us.
• 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
• Parental, 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

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• 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, without requiring employer visa sponsorship.
• 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 May 2026 (If you qualified earlier than May 2024 your application will not be considered)
• You hold a current valid UK driving licence and will have access to a vehicle when taking up employment with us.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role via email at .

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday the 8th of February 2026 with shortlisting planned for W/C the 9th of February 2026.

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 to take place W/C 2nd March 2026.

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.

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.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.