Surrey County Council
Early Help Advisor
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This role has a starting salary of £30,647 per annum for working 36 hours per week.
We are excited to be hiring a new Early Help Hub Advisor to join our Early Help Hub team within the Children's Single Point of Access (CSPA) Team. We are dedicated to the recruitment and development of employees who are passionate about supporting and safeguarding vulnerable children and families.
We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 1 day per week at Victoria Gate in central Woking on average and support working from home the rest of the time.
Our Offer to You
- 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years’ service (pro rata for part time staff)
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- Up to 5 days of carer’s leave per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Opportunity to undertake higher education apprentice courses linked with the University of Chichester
- 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
The CSPA is an exceptionally busy service providing a critical response to the County’s children and families who need help, protection and support. The Early Help Hub has the objective of directing children and families to early and preventative support services whenever safe and possible to do so. Our team consist of Early Help Advisors who bring a diverse range of experience across the span of children and family services.
You will work as part of a well-supported team consisting of a social work qualified team manager and advanced practitioner alongside advisors and senior advisors. You will be provided with regular guidance and support inclusive of regular case review and reflection, supervision, and support from colleagues who have a diverse range of experience and specialisms.
The role primarily consists of screening contacts within the CSPA which includes:
- Speaking with parents/carers and children whenever possible
- Undertaking checks with agencies when proportionate to do so
- Signposting and referring families to support, providing advice and undertaking safety planning when required
- Regular threshold review of families with management, inclusive of escalating safeguarding concerns when required
- To ensure families have the most timely response, we strive to make sure each family has an outcome within 24-48 hours
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Your Application
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:
- A level 3 qualification in a related area such as Education, Social Care etc. and/or substantial experience of directly working with children and families in a safeguarding and supporting capacity.
- Training and experience in responding to safeguarding concerns for children and families.
- A good understanding of the functioning and purpose of CSPA
- Ability to work collaboratively within the team, and communicate clearly in a respective and professional manner with children, families, colleagues and other agencies such as health and education.
- Organisational ability to manage and prioritise your workload in line with service needs and needs of families.
- A curious and reflective approach as to the needs of children and families inclusive of families with complex needs, safeguarding concerns and ability to analyse information to make threshold recommendations
To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:
- Please describe your relevant qualifications (e.g., Level 3 in Education, Social Care, or a related field) and/or your experience of directly supporting children and families. Include examples of how you have responded to safeguarding concerns in your previous roles.
- What is your understanding of the role and purpose of the Children’s Single Point of Access (CSPA), and how does this relate to the principles of Early Help?
- Describe a situation where you worked collaboratively with colleagues or external partners (e.g., health, education, social care) to support a child or family. How did you ensure clear, professional and respectful communication throughout?
- Tell us about a time when you needed to gather, analyse and reflect on information to make a recommendation about a child or family’s needs or level of risk. How did you remain curious, manage competing priorities, and ensure your decision‑making was well‑informed?
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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.
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.
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 Louise Makem via email at louise.makem@surreycc.gov.uk.
The job advert closes 6th September 2026 with interviews planned 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 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.
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