Education Welfare Support Officer

Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is ‘Land of Great Opportunities’, for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.

Education Welfare plays a key role in ensuring children and young people across Northumberland receive their educational entitlement. The service fulfils the Local Authority's statutory responsibilities in relation to school attendance, Elective Home Education, Children Missing Education, child employment and performance licensing, while working closely with schools, families and partner agencies to improve outcomes for children. Through direct intervention, advice, challenge and support, the service promotes regular school attendance, safeguards vulnerable children and supports successful engagement in education

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Education Welfare support Officer to join our team. This rewarding role involves working directly with children, families, schools and partner agencies to overcome barriers to attendance and engagement. You will provide individual support to children who are struggling to attend school, support reintegration into mainstream education, and contribute to Northumberland's Section 19 provision for children who are unable to attend school because of health needs. The role also includes delivering workshops, undertaking casework and supporting schools to develop effective attendance practice 

What you’ll be doing:

• Providing one-to-one support and intervention for children and young people experiencing attendance difficulties.
• Working with families, schools and partner agencies to identify and address barriers to education.
• Supporting the reintegration of pupils returning to school from the Northumberland Education Engagement Hub and other alternative provision.
• Delivering attendance, engagement and parenting workshops to children, parents and school staff.
• Undertaking statutory duties relating to attendance, safeguarding, Elective Home Education and Children Missing Education.
• Supporting schools to develop effective attendance strategies, policies and practice that improve outcomes for pupils

What you’ll bring: 

• Experience of working with children, young people and families in an education, social care, youth work or related setting.
• A good standard of education, including English and Mathematics, together with a relevant qualification in education, social work, teaching, childcare or a related field.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, attendance legislation and guidance, and a commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

• Excellent communication, organisational and partnership-working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and manage a varied caseload.

For further information about this vacancy, please contact Sarah WIntringham, Senior Manager – Attendance & Engagement via email; sarah.wintringham@northumberland.gov.uk or call 07584273772 for an informal chat.

Why choose us? 

We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including: 

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees) 
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme 
• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)

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What you need to know

For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here. 

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website here.

Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.

Additionally, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early or adjust the shortlisting criteria, including the pass mark for interview selection, to ensure a fair and manageable recruitment process. We encourage early applications.