Surrey County Council
Children's Residential Cook
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This permanent role has a starting salary of £12,566.50 per annum, based on a 18-hour working week, pro-rata to £25,133.
If you are passionate about cooking healthy, nutritious meals and want to make a real difference in the lives of some of Surrey’s most vulnerable children - we'd love to hear from you!
We are looking for a Cook who shares our dedication and will take pride in our home; helping to create a clean, homely environment, and cook healthy meals for children and staff on shift.
This role is based in our Children's Residential Home in Tadworth.
Our Offer to You
- 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service (pro rata for part-time hours)
- 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
We want our Residential Homes to be exceptional for the children we are entrusted to care for. It's what we strive to provide, and what our children want and need! We look after up to eight children per day, aged between 6-18 years old. We provide a safe and nurturing environment for disabled children and young people who also have complex health care needs.
As a Cook at our home, you will be joining a dedicated and energetic team who provide the best possible quality of personalised care that meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare. Some of our children have special dietary needs, therefore the right candidate must be thorough, confident and have great time management. This is a very rewarding role, where your work will make a real difference to the lives of the children we support. As a Cook you'll be at the heart of ensuring a healthy, balanced diet is provided daily.
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This will include:
- Food planning and preparation with a flair for creativity! Including healthy menus that ensure nutritional requirements are met (including allergies)
- On-line shopping (making sure budgets are stuck to!)
- Stock rotation and daily temperature checks on fridges and freezers
- Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene (where necessary, using powered equipment e.g., vacuum cleaners, weekly deep clean of kitchen etc)
- Ensuring all necessary repairs are reported and that health and safety guidelines are always followed
We work closely together to ensure we are providing the best possible care for some of Surrey’s most vulnerable young people, and at times, this can be challenging, so you’ll need to be adaptable and resilient to work in this environment.
All of our homes are inspected regularly by OFSTED and have been judged as either 'Good' or 'Outstanding'. We are very proud of the quality of our residential services for some of Surrey’s most vulnerable children. As a result, we have invested in our homes and staff and plan to continue this to achieve a service that is ambitious, innovative, and responsive to the needs of young people in our care.
Your Application
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:
- You hold a current CIEH e-learning Food Safety in Catering OR willingness to obtain this qualification within the home, including an awareness of Health and Safety issues and COSHH
- You are flexible, organised and able to work methodically
- You have great interpersonal skills and can develop appropriate relationships with young people
- You can work well as part of a team, but also confident working individually
- You have a commitment to undertaking relevant training and development
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 3 questions:
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- Please can you tell us about what has motivated you to apply for this position?
- Please tell us about your previous cooking or catering experience. This might include where you have planned healthy menus that ensure nutritional requirements are met, or allergy awareness for example.
- Please tell us how you have used your knowledge or experience of Food Safety guidelines to ensure a high standard of hygiene.
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 Sarah Muzzall by e-mail at residentialrecruitment@surreycc.gov.uk
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 11.08.2026 with interviews to follow.
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.
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 shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, 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.
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