Travel Care Passenger Assistant Coordinator and Consultant

Carefirst Recruitment Ltd is a Social Care Agency provider which specialises in the provision of Passenger Assistance for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Children Looked After (CLA). We are committed to ensuring safe, reliable, and supportive travel arrangements that enable children to access education and other essential services.

We are seeking a compassionate, commercially minded, and highly organised individual to manage and oversee the provision of passenger assistants for SEN and CLA transport services, while also supporting the growth of the business through vendor submissions, candidate placements, and contract development. This role requires excellent organisational skills, strong communication abilities, and a commitment to safeguarding and compliance.

Job Overview

The SEN and CLA Travel Care Passenger Assistant Coordinator and Consultant is responsible for the recruitment, training, coordination, and ongoing management of passenger assistants who support children and young people during transport. This role combines operational coordination with recruitment consultancy responsibilities and requires a proactive individual who can work effectively within a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will play a key role in building and maintaining strong relationships with local authorities, vendors, and transport providers, ensuring high-quality staffing solutions and supporting the continued growth of the Travel Care division.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit, interview, onboard, train, and manage a team of SEN and CLA Passenger Assistants to support children and young people during transport.
• Manage the end-to-end recruitment process, including candidate sourcing, compliance, interviews, onboarding, and placement management.
• Build and develop the Travel Care division through proactive vendor submissions, candidate placements, and contract growth opportunities.
• Submit compliant candidates to vendor portals and local authority frameworks in a timely and accurate manner to maximise placement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with local authorities, transport providers, schools, and external vendors to support business growth and service delivery.
• Oversee the scheduling and allocation of Passenger Assistants across transport routes, ensuring effective coverage and continuity of service.
• Maintain daily spreadsheets, booking systems, and staffing records accurately.
• Ensure all Passenger Assistants comply with safeguarding policies, SEN-specific requirements, and company compliance standards.
• Provide Travel Care teams with updates regarding staffing changes, route updates, and passenger assistant allocations in a timely manner.
• Conduct regular staff check-ins, audits, and performance reviews to maintain high standards of care, professionalism, and safety.
• Address and resolve concerns, incidents, or safeguarding matters promptly and professionally.
• Maintain accurate records relating to compliance, training, safeguarding, incidents, and staff performance.
• Keep up to date with relevant legislation, safeguarding regulations, local authority requirements, and best practices within SEN and CLA transport services.
• Support payroll processes by assisting with timesheet queries and confirming workers hours where required.

Key Requirements

• Previous experience within a Recruitment Consultant, Recruitment Coordinator, or Staffing role is essential.
• Experience working within a fast-paced recruitment or operational environment.
• Previous experience working within children's services, family support, social care, SEN services, or transport coordination is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of SEN transport regulations, safeguarding policies, disability awareness, and compliance requirements.
• Strong business development and relationship management skills, with confidence in vendor submissions and candidate placements.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Strong leadership and people management abilities.
• Excellent communication, administration, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build positive working relationships with local authorities, schools, families, transport providers, and external agencies.
• Competent in using scheduling systems, recruitment databases, Microsoft Office, and maintaining accurate records.
• An empathetic, patient, and professional approach when working with children and young people with SEN and CLA needs.

Additional Duties

• Maintaining and updating the company’s social media pages.
• Supervising contact sessions as and when required.
• Supporting the out-of-hours on-call service on a rota basis as required.
• Assisting with general recruitment and operational duties to support the wider business needs.
• Supporting the Children's Services Division.