Family Intervention Worker

The starting salary for this position is £33,552 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

In Surrey we believe that every child should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, and that children are best supported to grow and achieve within their own families. By working together, we are developing flexible services which are responsive to children's and families' needs, providing the right level of help at the right time.

We now have some fantastic opportunities for Family Intervention Workers to join our Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) based in our office base location in Reigate, working across East Surrey.

Our Offer to You

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

In 2024 Surrey County Council launched the Intensive Family Support Service to provide intensive early help for whole families who have interconnecting needs.

Working together with partners in local communities, our vision is that more families should receive timely support in the hope that needs do not escalate, and statutory intervention can be avoided where possible. We want to ensure that expertise is shared and well-coordinated so that families have a consistent relationship with their Practitioner and are not ‘passed around’ multiple providers, having to repeat their stories and experiences.

Since the service was established, we have realised the positive benefits that our Family Intervention Workers can have by supporting Social Workers and contributing to family interventions, including early help assessments.

On a typical day you can expect to be involved in:

• Supporting whole families through a strengths-based and trauma-informed approach, using motivational interviewing skills, one-to-one meetings, visiting children in schools, families in their homes, and delivering group-work
• Coordinating key support services and professionals to form an engaged, active and effective Team Around the Family with clearly defined roles and expectations as per the family plan
• Maintaining positive contact and effectively managing the balance of providing hands-on support and coordinating relevant partners. In all you do you will ensure that families are not 'passed around' different services and that support and relationships are consistent and meaningful
• Contributing to Child and Family assessments

These roles provide a platform to gain a diverse range of social care experience that could unlock further development and career opportunities within Children’s social care.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

• Understanding or awareness of legislation, procedures and issues relating to the service user group or the willingness to learn and develop this area
• Ability to plan, manage and prioritise a caseload, seeking guidance where necessary
• Ability to write clear, concise and accurate reports
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build meaningful relationships
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly as part of a team, supporting your colleagues when needed

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following questions:

1. Please tell us about a piece of work you have delivered which has resulted in positive outcomes for children and their families.
2. Communication and collaboration are really important aspects of this role as you will need to work effectively with our partners to achieve positive outcomes for the families we support. Please can you give an example of where you have successfully worked in partnership with colleagues, other agencies or organisations to achieve a positive outcome. What skills did you use to make the partnership work effectively?
3. In this role you may work with children and families in complex situations. Please provide us with an example of where you have built strong relationships to successfully overcome a challenging situation.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

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 Family Intervention Workers 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 defined 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.

We are welcoming applications from people local to Surrey and our surrounding borders with a broad range of whole-family experience to create multi-skilled teams. Full training will be provided, so if you are interested in this type of work and are committed to supporting families locally - we would be pleased to hear from you.

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 about the role please contact Helen Roser by email at helen.roser@surreycc.gov.uk.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 29th of March 2026 with interviews to follow in the first week of April.

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.

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 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 criteria, 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.