Senior Practitioner (Residential Team Leader)

About the role

This is a Senior Practitioner (Residential Team Leader) post based at a Surrey County Council children's residential home in Walton-on-Thames, working directly with children and young people while also providing guidance and support to more junior staff members.

The role sits between frontline practice and line management — offering a foot in two camps. You will build trusted relationships with children and young people, helping them manage their emotions and behaviours, process trauma, and navigate complex family dynamics. You'll bring empathy, consistency, and resilience to this work, creating positive experiences filled with laughter, fun, and love, while helping children and young people to develop healthy routines and coping strategies through meaningful activities including education and contributing to everyday life within the home.

Alongside direct work, you will use your previous experience and sense of personal authority, professionalism, and integrity to lead by example — supporting team members to make safe, informed decisions in sometimes challenging circumstances. You will work closely with home management to maintain a safe, nurturing environment and collaborate with multi-agency professionals involved in the lives of the children and young people in your care.

This role includes:

• Guiding junior team members as a mentor, sharing best practice and role modelling behaviours within respectful and confidential boundaries
• Supporting staff induction, training requirements, probation activity, and progress towards their diplomas
• Contributing to meaningful care planning in collaboration with multi-agency professionals
• Working with management to maintain a safe and nurturing environment within the home
• Providing supervision to more junior team members as part of your own professional development

The starting salary is £38,090 per annum for 36 hours per week. Enhanced rates of pay apply for weekend working, bank holiday working, and sleep-in duties. The working pattern includes weekends and sleep-in duties as part of a rota covering evenings, overnight, and weekend shifts alongside daytime hours.

To apply, click Apply Now. For an informal discussion about the role, contact Sarah Muzzall by email at residentialrecruitment@surreycc.gov.uk. This advert closes at 23:59 on 23 August 2026, with interviews to follow. Before submitting your application, Surrey recommends reading the job description and the Life at Surrey Handbook. As part of your application you will be asked to submit a CV and answer four questions covering your motivation for applying, your residential care experience, your experience of multi-agency working, and an example of how you have handled a challenging work situation.

About You

This is a strong opportunity for someone ready to take their first step into a leadership role without the full stretch of a Deputy Manager position. Surrey will support you to develop your skills through training, regular supervision, and a personalised development plan.

Previous supervisory experience is not essential, but you must be confident in offering guidance and support to others and willing to take on that responsibility as part of your development. If you have transferable experience from family support, placements, fostering, youth services, or probation and prison services, Surrey would welcome your application and encourages you to make the case for how your skills could translate.

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or an equivalent qualification, with the option to work towards a Level 5 in Management and Leadership
• Have previous experience of working in residential children's care, or demonstrate clearly transferable skills from a related children's services background
• Be able to establish and maintain positive relationships with children, adolescents, their families, and other care professionals
• Have an applied knowledge of contextual children's safeguarding and associated issues
• Have proven experience of multi-agency working
• Demonstrate skills in effective assessment, risk management, and strengths-based care planning
• Have experience of delivering statutory childcare services, including knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards
• Hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle, to support young people to attend appointments, activities, or trips

Surrey is committed to the safe recruitment of staff in its residential homes. Due to legal obligations, applications can only be accepted from candidates aged 22 and above. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for regulated activity and checks against the Children's and Adults' Barred Lists are required for this role. Reasonable adjustments will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long-term health condition.

Surrey is a disability confident employer. If you have shared a disability on your application and have evidenced that you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview. Your skills and experience truly matter, and Surrey is committed to supporting you with any adjustments needed from application through to your first day.

Surrey's Offer to You

Surrey's Senior Practitioner role is described as one of the best roles in its homes — offering a balance between direct work with children and young people and the opportunity to contribute to your team's development. Surrey supports you to grow through training, regular supervision, and a personalised development plan, including the opportunity to gain a Level 5 qualification in Management and Leadership if that is the path you choose, paving the way for future progression into more senior roles.

Surrey County Council is currently undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary authorities in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1 April 2027, your role will transfer with your current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations. Benefits include:

• 26 days' annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 additional days of annual leave per year
• A generous local government salary-related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Access to a learning and development hub with a wealth of resources
• And more, including wellbeing and lifestyle discounts covering gym, travel, and shopping