Adolescent Practitioner

This full-time, permanent position has a starting salary of £33,552 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring Edge of Care Adolescent Practitioners to join our fantastic Edge of Care service.

This position operates on a shift basis, with some planned evening and weekend work.

This is a county-wide service, where you can work from any of our Surrey offices. As a team, we come together every month at our Woodhatch office in Reigate.

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

Help families stay strong, connected and together. Join Surrey's Edge of Care service.

At Surrey County Council, our Edge of Care service supports young people aged 11-18 and their families at times when home life feels at breaking point. Without the right support, many of these young people may be at risk of entering care-and that's where our team steps in to make a real difference.

We provide intensive, structured and highly personalised support, working alongside the wider professional network to help families:

• Build resilience and confidence in their ability to cope
• Develop problem solving skills
• Achieve and maintain positive behaviour change
• Strengthen relationships and reduce contextual safeguarding risks

What makes our approach unique is not just what we do, but how we do it. We work holistically with the whole family, offering targeted interventions that create lasting, meaningful change-not just another professional asking them to retell their story.

We work with children and young people, and their families in a restorative and trauma informed way, using a compassionate, relationship-based approach to strengthen families and prevent care experiences.

As an Edge of Care Adolescent Practitioner, you'll play a crucial role within Surrey's Adolescent Services, working at the heart of where support can make the biggest difference.

Your key responsibilities as an Adolescent Practitioner will include:

• Supporting whole families through a strengths-based and trauma informed approach, utilising motivational interviewing skills and effective relational approaches
• Coordinating key support services and professionals with families to form an engaged, active and effective 'Team Around the Family', with clearly defined roles and expectations as per the family plan
• Ensuring casework is adequately recorded as per team policy and procedures, including timely and accurate case notes, assessments and reports
• Being the lead Practitioner for a caseload of families, maintaining positive contact and effectively managing the balance of providing hands-on support and coordinating relevant partners, as per a shared family plan, to keep them safe from harm

If you're passionate about helping families achieve safety, stability and stronger futures, this is a place where your work will genuinely change lives.

Your Application

We are looking for skilled and passionate individuals, who are dedicated to working positively with young people and families in sometimes challenging and complex situations, and with the confidence and emotional intelligence to engage others.

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

• An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of practitioners working with vulnerable young people
• Experience of working in a social work, youth justice, youth work, teaching, or probation environment
• Basic awareness of relevant legislation affecting working with children, including the Children Act (1989) and the Children and Adoption Act (2002)
• IT skills, including use of databases, email, Word and Excel
• Ability to prioritise and work effectively under pressure with minimal supervision
• Willingness to learn and undertake training relevant to the role

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.

Transferable skills and experience from a youth work, youth justice, education, residential children's home or social work background would align well to this role, where you will have the opportunity to gain further skills and experience in a dynamic and innovative environment.

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.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and answer the following 4 questions:

• Please tell us what motivates you to work with adolescents and families at the edge of care?
• Please describe your experience of working with vulnerable young people and/or families. Include how any transferable skills you have developed would support you to be effective in this role.
• Please describe a time when you worked with a young person and/or family during a period of crisis or heightened difficulty. How did you build trust and engagement, and respond to emotional or behavioural challenges?
• This role requires managing a caseload, prioritising work under pressure, and maintaining accurate and timely records. Please give an example that demonstrates how you have effectively managed multiple priorities and stakeholders

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 12th June 2026 with in-person interviews planned for week commencing 15th or 22nd June 2026.

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 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.

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.