Education Support Worker Children Previously in Care

Location: Portslade Hub, Mile Oak Road, Portslade, BN41 2PG.

Salary: £34,434 - £39,152 pro rata.

Contractual hours: 25.

Basis: Flexi Hours.

In Brighton & Hove, we recognise that the impact of care does not end when a child is no longer in care. Many children who are adopted or supported through Special Guardianship continue to face challenges in education linked to early experiences. Our Virtual School is committed to ensuring these children feel understood, included and able to succeed. We are seeking an Education Support Worker who can bring warmth, insight and professional curiosity to this specialist role. We work relationally with families and schools to make a lasting difference.

About the role

This is a relationship-based role where you will work flexibly and responsively with children, families and schools.

Responsibilities

• Be the lead professional within the Virtual School for a group of children previously in care, maintaining a clear focus on their educational progress and wellbeing.
• Build trusted relationships with adoptive parents and special guardians, providing practical advice, reassurance and advocacy.
• Support schools to better understand the impact of trauma and attachment, helping them adapt practice so children can engage and succeed.
• Work collaboratively with professionals across education and children’s services, ensuring support is coordinated and timely.
• Identify barriers to learning early and coordinate targeted interventions, including tuition and specialist support where needed.
• Use insight, experience and available information to monitor progress and respond proactively where concerns emerge.
• Contribute to the development of training, workshops and peer support opportunities for parents and carers.

A key part of the role is helping others understand what works, developing approaches that are consistent, relational and inclusive.

Key Skills & Experience

• Experience of working with children, young people or families facing barriers to learning or wellbeing.
• An understanding of how early experiences, trauma or instability can influence behaviour, engagement and progress.
• The ability to build strong, trusting relationships with families and professionals.
• Confidence in offering guidance and challenge to schools in a supportive and constructive way.
• Experience of assessing needs and coordinating appropriate support or intervention.
• Ability to use information and professional judgement to identify priorities and track progress.
• Strong communication skills, including working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

You will be reflective, adaptable and committed to learning, with a clear understanding of the importance of equity, inclusion and anti‑discriminatory practice.

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term time only. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.