Reunification Manager

We are proud of our recent Good Ofsted judgement, which marks a significant milestone for Surrey. The report highlights that "Children in care have trusting and positive relationships with their Social Workers. Social Workers use creative life-story work to help children understand the reasons why they are in care." And "Staff are well-trained and committed, feel highly valued and are proud to work in Surrey." If you are considering your next professional opportunity and looking for an ambitious and highly motivated employer who is continuously striving for better services for children and young people, then our Surrey Children's Services would love to hear from you. About the Team In Surrey, we care that children have long lasting and positive relationships with their birth families. As such, we created the Reunification Support Service in 2022 which sees a small dedicated team of 4 Practitioners work alongside our Children Looked After Services to assess and support children to return home, where safe to do so. The Reunification Support Service became permanent in May 2024 due to the success of its work in reunifying children to their birth families. By joining us as a Reunification Manager, you will have the opportunity to be part of the team's on-going success. Surrey County Council is currently going through Local Government Reorganisation with Vesting Day on the 1^st of April 2027. From that day, the role of the Reunification Manager will adapt to the needs of the new authority by managing a lower number of Reunification Practitioners, alongside Front Line Social Workers working with Looked After Children Our Children Looked After and Reunification Service As a Reunification and Looked After Children's Manager your role will play a crucial part of our ambitious project to support Children Looked After to return to their families when it is safe for them to do so. The role aims to support social workers in the wider local authority to identify children and young people early who may be able to return home, supporting the social work team by creating multi-agency plans of support and intervention to be carried out by Reunification Practitioners to whom you will supervise and review progress. From April 2027, you will also supervise a small group of social workers working with Looked after Children, ensuring practice is effective and children and young people are supported on their care journeys to permanency and adulthood. You will have the support, experience and oversight of a Looked After and Care Leavers Service Manager. While the role is currently based in Woking, the children being supported within the team may live elsewhere in Surrey or may reside outside of the area. Visits to work with children and families will be held at the best location for the child and their family and therefore you will need a willingness to work flexibly and have the ability to travel to meet the demands of this role. Supporting You In Surrey, you will have a sense of belonging within your individual team but also the wider service areas and directorate. You will receive high quality supervision, as there is a firm commitment towards dedicating time that focusses on the work you do with children and families, to enable you to work creatively and holistically with a child centred approach. You will also be supported in your career development by your management team and our Surrey Children's Service Academy, which currently has over 60 courses available and offers a bespoke learning programme so you can be at the forefront of best practice, providing you with support and a clear pathway to achieve your future aspirations. Modules such as motivational interviewing and our total respect course allow you to feel empowered in having essential conversations whilst still ensuring a child centred approach to your practice.

• Qualified Social Work degree and SWE Registration
• Management/Supervisor Experience
• A commitment to working with children to improve the quality of their lives
• An understanding of the NSPCC Reunification Framework
• Excellent written and communication skills and ability to use information technology well
Surrey has both urban and rural areas and you 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 starting salary for this position is £56,439 per annum based on working 36 hours per week. This is a fixed term contract opportunity to cover maternity leave until September 2027. We are excited to be hiring a Reunification Manager to join our fantastic Countywide Reunification Support Service (part of the Children Looked After Services) based in Woking at our Victoria Gate office. When not working with our residents in the community, we are keen to support agile working with a combination of home and office working. We are keen to get the balance right of providing flexibility but ensuring you feel connected to your team and the service. Our Offer to You
• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• 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
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker