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What does the Academy do?

The role of the Academy is to provide learning and development learning and development opportunities to increase the skill and confidence of the Children, Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate workforce and their Partners. Opportunities provided by the Academy are available to:

• All staff within the Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (CFLL) Directorate
• The children's workforce in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ through the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ's Foster Carers

The key areas of our work include:

Delivering learning offer for staff to support development

We provide an internal learning and development offer to all staff in the Directorate. We use various methods and resources to support continuous professional development and career progression. The internal learning offer is aligned to the directorate priorities, Ofsted recommendations and learning from audits annually.

We conduct learning evaluations in to assess the impact learning has on practice and to demonstrate its value. The Academy works to raise professional standards, introduce and embed new skills, values and ways of working and to provide up to date knowledge and research to support outstanding practice.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view our full learning offer!

Coordinating and commissioning the Partnership learning offer

We deliver a multi-agency Safeguarding (core and specialist) learning offer for the children's workforce within the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP). We work closely with the SSCP and Partners to improve relationships, collaboration and evaluation of the multi-agency training offer.

Supporting practitioners in training

We support practitioners in their early careers in lots of different ways to ensure they have the right support in place to be able to learn, grow and develop.  Our Academy team of experienced social workers/practice educators provide support to, and assessment of, students in their social work placements and newly qualified social workers through their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment. We are committed to helping staff develop in their early social work career and beyond, where we offer opportunities for social work staff to be onsite supervisors and training practice educators with social work students.

Supporting the recruitment, retention and culture strategy

We work with teams and services including the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Safeguarding Children Partnership to deliver initiatives which help us to recruit, develop and retain a highly skilled and stable workforce. We work with service representatives to develop and implement new schemes to support workers to progress in their careers.

Meet the Team

Alex McKnight, Head of Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children's Services Academy

Hi, I'm Alex McKnight, Head of the Academy. I was originally seconded into the post in the first half of 2022, and then returned permanently in July 2023 after I had my second little boy.

I have worked in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ since 2010, originally as a social worker in what was then the Child Protection team in Woking, and then I worked my way up within the Looked After Service to Team Manager and Service Manager- later managing Care leavers as well. It was a real privilege seeing many of the children's journeys all the way to adulthood or being settled permanently outside of care over the 10 years in that service, and seeing the difference the social workers and Personal Advisor's care, support and creativity in the social work teams made over time to the children.

I'm really passionate about staff recruitment, retention, career development and learning opportunities, and the Academy works closely with colleagues in CFLL and the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children's Safeguarding Partnership to work creatively and robustly to support the workforce in these areas.

Elaine Thomas, Deputy Head of Academy and Professional Development for Children's Social Care

Hi, I'm Elaine Thomas Deputy Head of Academy and Professional Development for Children's Social Care.

I have worked for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ since 1999 and moved into the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children's Services Academy in 2019.

I am passionate about making a difference for children, young people and families and the professionals who work with them and my role in the academy allows me to make a small contribution to making a difference for all. I have worked in Learning and Development for most of my 25 years at the council.

I have responsibility for the learning and development of the following areas Family Safeguarding/Resilience, Corporate Parenting, Inclusion and Additional Needs, some services in Quality Assurance and Foster Carers.

Lee Donoghue, Professional Development Manager

Hi, I'm Lee, Professional Development Manager for the Academy. I really value lifelong learning and the opportunities it provides, so it's a pleasure to work with such a great team to help support and develop our workforce.

I've worked in Learning and Development in four very different industries. Each has shaped my perspective and contributed to my approach to learning and how best to support our CFLL and partnership teams which do so much for children and families.

In my role, I help to identify and fulfil the learning needs of our multi-agency partnership and the wider directorate.

Nicola Meza, New & Developing Social Workers Manager: Students

Hello, I’m Nicola. I’m a qualified social worker with 15 years’ experience of working in London local authority children’s social care settings. Prior to joining Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ in August 2023 as a countywide practice educator, I spent over six years as the care proceedings case manager in different boroughs which gave me lots of experience in court work, social work writing, building relationships with the judiciary, and care planning.  Throughout my career, I have been involved in developing other social workers both formally as a manager and practice educator and informally with case consultation and support. I continue to work directly with families on the days that I don’t work for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ so am firmly rooted in the ‘real world’ of social work!

In April 2025 I took over as the New & Developing Social Workers Manager for students so am now responsible for the small team of countywide practice educators.  I liaise with the various universities that we work with and ensure that we offer excellent placements and learning opportunities to the social work students who come to Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ for their 70- and 100-day placements.  Matching students to a placement that will stretch them, and that they will enjoy, is complicated but very rewarding.  I am proud of our student offer and the success we have recruiting newly qualified social workers who were once students with us, then watching them grow and develop in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ.

Roisin Ritchie, New & Developing Social Workers Manager: International Social Workers

Hello! I’m Roisin, the Manager of the New & Developing Social Workers Team for International Social Workers. I joined Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children’s Services in 2023 and was working as an Advanced Social Worker in the Family Safeguarding service until I took up a secondment position in the Children’s Academy in summer 2025. I’ve been joined by three brilliant Advanced Social Workers who are also on secondment to the Academy from other teams, and together we are planning and delivering a bespoke learning and support programme for the International Social Workers joining Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children’s Services this year.

The International Social Workers Programme is designed to help this cohort of social workers to thrive in their new roles and deliver the best possible outcomes for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ’s children and young people. We’re equally excited about the opportunity to learn from the diverse range of perspectives and professional experiences our colleagues from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho bring with them to Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ.

Siobhan Doyle, New and Developing Social Workers Manager: Newly Qualified Social Workers

Hi, I'm Siobhan, I have worked in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children’s Services since 2013. I manage the New and Developing Social Workers Team for Newly Qualified Social Workers, undertaking their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). We also support social workers in the year following ASYE as they consolidate their social work practice in a programme called Post Qualifying 2. Our focus is to have the right support in place, to enable a newly qualified social workers to learn, grow and develop in their early career to deliver best practice to children, young people, and their families in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ.

Contact us

For any enquiries, please email us at surreychildrens.academy@surreycc.gov.uk.

Files available to download

• Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ Children’s Services Academy learning offer (PDF)
  The learning offer outlines the courses available to staff members working in the Childrens Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate.