Keyworker

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this full-time position is £36,873 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

This is a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity until 31st March 2027. Please discuss with your current Line Manager before submitting your application.

We are delighted to offer two fantastic opportunities for Keyworkers to join our Keyworking team based at Woodhatch in Reigate. This is a countywide role and may at times require travel beyond the Surrey footprint to ensure coordinated support for young people and families.

We support hybrid working with the right balance. As a team we come together in person for 1-2 days per week on average (20%-40% of the working week) and support working from home. Most of the role will be seeing people in the community.

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

About The Role

Aligned with the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan, this Keyworker role plays a vital part in supporting children and young people with Autism and/or Learning Disabilities who may be at risk of crisis or hospital admission. You will work proactively to keep young people safe, well, and connected to their communities, ensuring the right support is in place at the right time.

You will work closely with professionals across education, health, social care and the voluntary sector, bringing people together and coordinating support so it is timely, joined up and responsive. You will champion the young person’s voice, build strong relationships with families, and remove barriers across the system to help them navigate what can often feel overwhelming or complex.

All young people you will work with are referred through the Dynamic Support Register (DSR), meaning they are among those most at risk of crisis or hospital admission. This can include supporting young people who experience significant distress, such as overwhelm, shutdowns, meltdowns, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. We do not expect you to come into the role already confident in managing these situations, what matters most is your ability to be person‑centred, compassionate, reflective and willing to learn. You will receive ongoing training, regular reflective supervision, and the support of a highly experienced and nurturing team. You will never be expected to manage risk or crisis alone.

You’ll work directly with some amazing young people and their families, building relationships that bring out their strengths, honour their communication styles and help them feel heard, understood and supported.

Your key responsibilities as a Keyworker will include:

• Building trusted, consistent relationships with young people aged 0–25 and their families
• Coordinating support across education, social care, health and voluntary sector partners
• Supporting young people experiencing distress, including self-harm, suicidal ideation, shutdowns or meltdowns, offering steady, autism-informed, trauma-informed support
• Developing personalised plans built around the young person’s strengths, communication style, sensory profile and routines
• Advocating for young people in meetings and ensure their voice is central to all decisions
• Helping families navigate complex systems and reduce the need for crisis responses
• Supporting transitions such as school moves, placement changes or hospital discharge
• Maintaining accurate records and contribute to service development

This is a front‑facing role and may include working in community settings, homes, schools and hospital environments, including Tier 4 units, when supporting young people and their families.

Your work will directly contribute to:

• Preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and placement breakdown
• Strengthening Surrey’s autism informed and learning disability pathways‑ to include reasonable adjustments
• Improving transitions into adulthood through person-centred approaches
• Developing tools and resources that shape how young people experience support.
• Enhancing cross system partnership working with education, health‑ and social care

You will be joining a warm, supportive and collaborative team who learn from one another, celebrate successes, and work together through challenges. We value reflection, kindness, curiosity and shared problem solving. This is a deeply rewarding role, offering the chance to see the impact of your work first-hand and be part of a team that truly makes a difference.

“I can genuinely say this is the best team I have ever worked in, supportive, encouraging and always there for one another.” – Current Keyworker

Your Application

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

• Experience supporting children, young people or adults with Autism or Learning Disabilities
• A person-centred, compassionate‑ and reflective approach
• Excellent communication and relationship building‑ skills
• The ability to work across multiple agencies and coordinate support
• A calm, supportive approach to distress and emotional dysregulation

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

1. Please tell us how you approach building trusting, person-centred relationships with children or young people especially those who express themselves or communicate in different ways.
2. Young people referred via the Dynamic Support Register may experience distress such as overwhelm, shutdowns, meltdowns, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. Please describe your approach to supporting someone during a difficult moment, and what helped you connect with them. (This does not require crisis expertise, examples from work or life are welcome.)
3. Please describe a time when you worked with other people or professionals (e.g., school, health, social care, voluntary or community groups) to help a child, young person or family.
4. Keyworking involves ongoing reflection and learning. Please tell us something you’ve learned about yourself from previous work or life experience, and how this shapes the way you support others.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 15th April 2026 with interviews planned to follow. Interviews will be in-person at our office in Reigate on 21st April 2026.

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. Please contact Charlie Sherlock via email at mailto:Charlie.Sherlock@surreycc.gov.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

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.

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.