Attendance Compliance Officer - Education Supervision Order Facilitator in Chelmsford

This role will sit within the existing Attendance Compliance Team and focus on intensive, well‑documented family support work aimed at removing barriers to regular school attendance. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the statutory framework that underpins the local authority’s role in school attendance concerns and the use of Education Supervision Orders (ESOs) as part of the local authority’s response. The position is introduced to provide individual family support to facilitate improved school attendance and, where appropriate, to use local authority powers to apply for ESOs via the Family Courts.

Candidates should have experience working in a statutory role with a strong focus on building relationships with children, young people, families, schools and key partners, and be able to develop and coordinate plans of action that remove identified barriers and promote sustained improvements in pupil attendance and engagement.

• Use specialist skills to meet statutory responsibilities for children failing to attend school regularly, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to key stakeholders and families to meet the educational needs of vulnerable children.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and partners to prioritise school attendance for vulnerable children within Essex.
• Document all interactions rigorously in a court‑suitable format.
• Develop solution‑focused plans with robust directions for all parties, setting deadlines and progressing cases on time.
• Collaborate with colleagues to achieve desired outcomes.
• Challenge schools and families where pupils are prevented from accessing education to highlight obstacles and instigate plans to overcome barriers.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, equality and anti‑discrimination legislation, and robust processes for managing concerns and complaints.
• Define and meet individual and shared targets and objectives as part of the performance management framework.

• Degree level education in a relevant subject area or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in the relevant professional area.
• Ability to interpret information and data to achieve positive outcomes and improve standards.
• Significant experience in an education environment demonstrating expert knowledge of ensuring families understand the importance of attendance and managing consequences when attendance is not achieved.
• Experience managing own workload and leading change in a complex environment.
• Experience delivering public services in a multi‑stakeholder environment.
• Excellent communication skills, empathy, negotiation skills, and the ability to hold key partners to account.

Many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

The role requires mobility throughout the operational area. The holder must have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

If the role requires a DBS check, the successful candidate must register with the DBS update service and maintain their certificate.