Court Support Officer in Oldham

The Court Support Officer provides comprehensive administrative and business support to the Attendance, Enforcement and Inclusion teams within Children's Services, helping to ensure the effective delivery of statutory school attendance and enforcement functions. The role is responsible for supporting legal processes associated with school attendance, including the administration of School Attendance Orders, Penalty Notices and attendance-related court proceedings.

Working within a busy and often time-critical environment, the post holder prepares and manages a range of legal and administrative documentation, including summonses, witness statements, attendance records and court papers, ensuring that all documentation is accurate, compliant and completed within statutory timescales. The role requires close liaison with schools, magistrates' courts, council officers and parents/carers to facilitate the progression of cases and ensure effective communication between all parties.

The Court Support Officer is responsible for maintaining accurate records and management information systems, updating databases and spreadsheets, producing reports and monitoring court outcomes. A key aspect of the role is supporting the financial administration of attendance enforcement processes, including monitoring Penalty Notice payments, investigating discrepancies and maintaining associated financial records in accordance with council procedures.

In addition to court-related duties, the post holder contributes to wider business support activities across the service. This includes producing correspondence and reports, coordinating meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, responding to enquiries, maintaining information systems and supporting service level agreements where required. The role also involves promoting excellent customer service, ensuring compliance with data protection requirements and safeguarding responsibilities, and identifying opportunities to improve business processes and service delivery.

The Court Support Officer plays a vital role in supporting the council's attendance strategy by ensuring that enforcement processes are administered efficiently, accurately and professionally, contributing to improved school attendance outcomes and the safeguarding of children and young people.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage attendance enforcement administration, including supporting School Attendance Order processes and coordinating school placement information.
• Prepare and process court documentation, including summonses, witness statements, attendance records and legal paperwork for attendance-related prosecutions within statutory timescales.
• Liaise with key stakeholders, including schools, attendance officers, magistrates' courts and parents/carers, to ensure accurate and timely progression of court cases.
• Maintain and update records and databases, monitoring court outcomes, producing reports and ensuring accurate case and attendance information is available.
• Support financial processes by monitoring Penalty Notice payments, investigating discrepancies and maintaining accurate financial records in accordance with Council procedures.

Key Requirements:

• Experience in administration and business support with the ability to manage a wide range of administrative tasks, maintain accurate records, and use databases, spreadsheets and Microsoft Office applications effectively.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines, liaise with multiple stakeholders, and deliver a professional customer-focused service.
• Knowledge of data protection and safeguarding with the ability to handle sensitive information confidentially and support attendance enforcement processes accurately and compliantly.

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact: A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing. We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

Our Benefits Package:

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service.
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups.

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.