Education Welfare Officer (Part-Time / 18.5 hours a week)

Job Introduction

In Staffordshire we want our children to have the best opportunities to be successful in education, through being supported by people who have high aspirations for them at all stages of their education.

As a team we work closely with our partners to ensure that they understand and support us in our role to address the barriers to education and promote a positive culture towards attendance and attainment.

Our services are guided by statutory and non-statutory guidance to promote the attainment and progress of our children.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our Newcastle District Team.  You'll also work with our team of Education Welfare Officers across Staffordshire. 

Main Responsibilities

You will:

• be required to work in close collaboration with central and district colleagues to manage referrals,
• provide advice and share best practice between schools and trusts within the area,
• deliver targeted support meetings,
• organise district meetings, 
• support children to access education,
• work with internal and external partner agencies,
• as well as address the complex issues of school attendance, child employment and entertainment.

The Ideal Candidate

You'll have:

• experience of managing attendance in a local authority, school or alternative provision setting thorough understanding of the Education Act, Working Together to improve school attendance (2024 statutory guidance) , Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023 statutory guidance)
• a good understanding of the complex factors which may influence issuing penalty notices, investigating and prosecuting for irregular school attendance, supporting children missing education, carrying out child entertainment and employment checks.
• excellent written and communication skills,
• the ability to work effectively in a busy team and be passionate about working with schools to improve attendance.
• You must be resilient, able to manage your time effectively and work well under pressure. 

For more information about the role please contact: Alison Duggan, Deputy Head of Attendance and Inclusion alison.duggan@staffordshire.gov.uk

Interviews will be held on 20th November, 2024 at Staffordshire Place One. 

“We’re happy to talk flexible working”

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. 

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. 

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post. 

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.