Social Worker: Integrated Multi-Agency Partnerships

Social Worker – Integrated Multi-Agency Partnerships (C-SPOA)

Job Breakdown

• Employer: Surrey County Council (Recruiting for the Children’s Single Point of Access service)

• Location: Newcastle upon Tyne (Regional hub/Remote-hybrid setup)

• Salary: £35,000 – £42,000 per annum (Estimated based on Surrey CC’s national pay scales for experienced Social Workers)

• Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

• Estimated Average Salary: In the North East, specialized intake and assessment roles typically range from £36,500 – £40,000, making this a competitive offer within the statutory sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Threshold Decision Making: Act as the first point of contact for referrals, applying the “Effective Family Resilience” framework to determine if a child requires early help, targeted support, or statutory intervention.

• Multi-Agency Collaboration: Work daily alongside police, health professionals, and education providers within a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) environment to share information and manage risk.

• Risk Assessment: Conduct rapid, high-quality screenings of incoming safeguarding concerns to identify immediate harm or chronic neglect.

• Family Support: Provide professional advice and guidance to families and universal services (schools, GPs) to ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

• Statutory Compliance: Ensure all decisions and records are maintained to Ofsted-ready standards and comply with the Children Act 1989/2004.

• Information Sharing: Facilitate the legal and ethical sharing of sensitive data between agencies to build a comprehensive picture of a child’s circumstances.

Requirements

• Professional Registration: Must be a Qualified Social Worker with a current, valid Social Work England registration.

• Experience: Demonstrable experience working within a statutory children’s social work setting (e.g., Assessment, Child Protection, or MASH).

• Knowledge: Deep understanding of safeguarding thresholds and the legislative framework governing children’s services in the UK.

• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written skills, with the ability to negotiate and challenge professional opinions in a high-pressure environment.

• Decision-Making: Ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions quickly, often with incomplete information.

Benefits

• Flexible Working: Options for flexible hours and hybrid working to support a healthy work-life balance.

• Financial Perks: Competitive base salary with regular increments and an attractive local government pension scheme.

• Generous Leave: Comprehensive annual leave allowance (typically 26–30 days) plus bank holidays and the option to buy additional leave.

• Professional Development: Access to Surrey County Council’s renowned Academy for continuous professional development and specialized safeguarding training.

• Supportive Culture: Work within a collaborative “Single Point of Access” team that prioritizes peer support and reflective supervision.

Job Description

The Role Surrey County Council is seeking a highly skilled and resilient Social Worker to join our Integrated Multi-Agency Partnership team. This role is based within the Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPOA)—the critical “front door” of our children’s services. You will be part of a sophisticated triage system designed to ensure that no child falls through the cracks. This is a role for a practitioner who enjoys the analytical side of social work and excels in the fast-paced environment of intake and referral.

At the Heart of Safeguarding In the C-SPOA, your primary mission is to answer the question: “What does this child need right now?” You will spend your day analyzing referrals from the public and professionals alike. You won’t be working in a silo; you will be sitting (virtually or physically) alongside colleagues from the NHS and the Police. Together, you will piece together information to determine the level of risk. Your ability to make accurate threshold decisions is vital—you are the gatekeeper who ensures that statutory social work resources are directed to the children in the greatest need, while also championing early intervention for families who are just beginning to struggle.

Collaborative Decision Making The “Integrated” part of your title is key. You will be expected to build strong relationships with partners across the region. This requires a high degree of professional confidence; you must be able to explain your threshold decisions clearly to a worried teacher or a police officer, ensuring everyone involved understands the path forward for the child. While the pace is fast and the decisions are significant, you are supported by a robust leadership team and a culture that values “getting it right” over simply “moving the data.”

Why Join This Partnership? This position offers the best of both worlds: the stability and resources of a large local authority with the flexibility of a modern, hybrid work model. If you have a background in statutory children’s services and are looking for a role where you can use your diagnostic skills to improve safeguarding outcomes at a systemic level, this is an excellent career move. We provide a “wrap-around” benefits package designed to support you as much as you support our families, including excellent leave options and a commitment to your long-term career progression.

Surrey County Council is a major local government authority that, in 2026, is frequently discussed in Newcastle upon Tyne due to its expansive national recruitment strategy, particularly within the Social Work and Childcare sectors. While its physical administrative base remains in the South East, it operates a “borderless” recruitment model to address critical staffing shortages in the Home Counties by drawing on the expertise of professionals from the North East.

Organization & Culture

Surrey County Council (SCC) is currently navigating a period of significant Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), with plans to transition into new unitary structures. This has fostered a culture of innovation and transformation, where the council is “flipping the script” on traditional local government work.

Internally, the workplace is defined by its “No One Left Behind” ambition. In 2026, SCC is recognized for its high-support environment, offering one of the most comprehensive ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment) programs in the UK for newly qualified social workers. Staff describe the culture as “agile and well-resourced,” with a strong emphasis on reflective supervision and professional autonomy.

Key Organisation Highlights (2026)

Core Operations & Regional Recruitment

Surrey County Council is one of the most active “out-of-region” recruiters in the Newcastle area, targeting the North East’s high-quality talent pool for several key streams:

• Children’s Social Work: SCC frequently runs large-scale recruitment drives in Newcastle for their “Spring” and “Autumn” cohorts. They offer substantial financial packages, including a £6,000 bonus upon completion of the ASYE program.

   

• Agile Working: For many 2026 roles, SCC supports a “commutable hybrid” model. Staff may be based in the North East but handle caseloads or digital projects for Surrey, with occasional travel to their Northeast Area Office (located in Weybridge, Surrey—not to be confused with the North East of England).

   

• SEND & Additional Needs: Recruiting Specialists and SEND Officers to manage the increasing demand for Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs).

   

• Technical & Data Roles: Leveraging Newcastle’s status as a tech hub to source Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) and Data Analysts for their centralized digital teams.

   

Working for Surrey County Council (from Newcastle)

For professionals in the North East, a role with SCC often represents a significant salary “uplift” compared to local Tyneside authorities:

• Pay & Salaries (2026): Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) start at approx. £38,000, while Senior Social Workers can earn upwards of £48,000.

• The “Agile” Offer: SCC provides a “Life at Surrey” handbook that details their commitment to flexible working, allowing North East-based professionals to balance southern-weighted salaries with northern living costs.

   

• Benefits: Includes a generous local government pension, up to 31 days’ holiday, and “Relocation Assistance” for those looking to move permanently to the South East.

• Employee Sentiment: Rated 4.0/5 for “Diversity and Inclusion.” Newcastle-based contractors often praise the council’s “digital maturity,” making remote collaboration more seamless than in many smaller regional authorities.

2026 Strategic Vision: “The Unitary Transition”

As of March 2026, Surrey County Council is focusing on:

• Unitarisation: Moving toward a more streamlined “Unitary Council” model to improve service delivery and reduce administrative duplication.

• Greener Futures: A commitment to being a “Net Zero” council by 2030, which includes transitioning their entire fleet to electric vehicles and promoting remote-first working to reduce regional travel.

• Workforce Stability: Investing heavily in “Growing Our Own” through apprenticeships and the Surrey Children’s Services Academy to reduce reliance on high-cost agency staff.