This role has a starting salary of £33,552 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.
We are hiring a new
Adolescent Practitioner to join our fantastic Edge of Care Team. The team is based countywide and supports hybrid working. The Edge of Care Team work across 7 days and there is some evening and weekend days, but most of your working hours will fall between 9 and 5. Weekend working is paid at an enhanced rate of time and a half.
The Edge of Care service has achieved a 95% success rate in keeping families together over the first year of operations which we are very proud of. We are committed to working to keeping families together and strive to achieve positive outcomes for our children and families. Agile working allows for flexibility, but we are also committed to coming together as a team daily to ensure the team are supported with the challenges of the role. All operational hours are covered by management on call.
Rewards And Benefits
- 26 days’ holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service
- Annual leave allowance (for bank) or remove for term time
- 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 dependents leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
- 2 paid volunteering days
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About The Team
The Edge of Care Team sits within the central hub of the adolescent service. We as a service accept referrals for adolescents and their families who are aged between 11 to 18 year olds.
We accept referrals from our colleagues across children’s services who support children within our age range who without intensive support may face family breakdown and enter the care system.
About The Role
Edge of Care is a service that will support young people at risk of entering care to stay with their families. We use evidence-based, models of practice and assist families to make significant, positive changes.
You will provide intensive support to young people aged 11 – 18 and their families, usually over a period of 12 to 18 weeks. The work builds on a family’s strengths and introduces coping strategies. It mixes practical support with a strong challenge, to address complex and enduring needs.
As an
Adolescent Practitioner, you will take on families alongside the case holding social workers/ practitioners, working directly and mainly with young people and their families in their homes. Providing a flexible crisis response service with safeguarding at its heart, you will apply relationship-based practice to engage with the young people and their families and deliver our compassion focused therapy model to develop the families strengths and strategies through your intensive interventions.
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Shortlisting Criteria
As part of your application, you will be asked to answer the following 4 questions and submit your CV:
- Describe a time when you supported a young person facing complex emotional or behavioural challenges. What approach did you take and what was the outcome?
- Give an example of how you have used creative or innovative methods to engage a vulnerable or hard-to-reach young person. What was the impact of your intervention?
- How do you manage competing priorities in your workload while maintaining high standards of communication and record-keeping?
- Tell us about a situation where you worked both independently and as part of a team to support a young person and their family. What role did you play and what did you learn from the experience?
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your answers to the above questions must evidence the following shortlisting criteria:
- An understanding of issues affecting young people’s ability to manage situations, including child protection and complex emotional or behavioural needs
- Experience delivering intensive interventions such as 1:1 support and family work, using creative approaches to engage vulnerable and hard-to-reach young people
- Ability to motivate and build positive relationships with young people and their families, acting as a positive role model
- Strong communication skills, including clear written reports, case notes, support plans, and confident verbal and presentation abilities
- Capability of working independently and as part of a team, using initiative and effectively managing and prioritising workload
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.
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 Debbie Searle by e-mail and/or telephone at
[email protected] or 07891533051.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 17/08/2025 with interviews planned for 08/09/2025.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.
Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.
Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council
Our Behaviours
The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about our behaviours.
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 Commitment Surrey 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.
