Attendance Compliance Officer - ESO Facilitator, Chelmsford

Fixed Term, Full Time

33,915 to 39,900 Per Annum

Location: Countywide

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: Wednesday 1st July

There are multiple vacancies available for this role. Please note these vacancies are available as fixed term contracts or secondment opportunities for up to 18 Months. Interviews will take place virtually, via Microsoft Teams, on Monday 20th July 2026.

The Role

This role will sit within the existing Attendance Compliance Team and will have a specific focus on intensive, well-documented family support work which has a firm focus on removing barriers to regular school attendance. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the statutory framework which underpins the role of the local authority in regards to school attendance concerns and the role that Education Supervision Orders (ESOs) may play as part of the local authority's response to such concerns. This role is being introduced to provide much needed individual family support to facilitate improved school attendance and, where appropriate, make use of local authority powers to apply for ESOs via the Family Courts. Candidates should be able to share experience of working within a statutory role which has a strong focus on building relationships with children, young people, families, schools and key partners. These relationships will be built so that a better understanding of what may be causing pupils to be absent from school can be achieved. The successful candidate will have experience of developing and coordinating plans of action, which include clear directions for all relevant parties which seek to remove identified barriers and bring about sustained improvements in individual pupils' attendance and engagement with education.

The Opportunity

This role focuses on ensuring that the local authority is making full use of its statutory powers in respect of unauthorised pupil absence, with a key focus on the work involved with Education Supervision Orders. Essex County Council firmly believes that every child should have access to educational opportunities which allow them to go on to live healthy and fulfilled lives. For some children and families, barriers jeopardise their ability to engage with available engagement opportunities and this role will focus on the identification of such barriers and the development of plans which seek to remove those barriers and restore regular engagement with educational opportunities.

As an experienced professional with significant knowledge of the education system, specifically in respect of attendance policies and practice, you will exert your influence to negotiate with schools, families and relevant partners the right course of action to protect children and young people's right to an education. You will focus on building trust with the families with which you will work, providing clear directions with the aim of achieving positive outcomes in regards to school attendance and engagement.

Accountabilities

• Utilises specialist skills, knowledge and experience to meet statutory responsibilities for children who are failing to attend school regularly, ensuring that both external and internal responsibilities and deadlines are met.
• Provides expert advice and guidance to key stakeholders and families to ensure that the educational needs of vulnerable children and young people are met.
• Works collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to ensure the best overall outcome for vulnerable children within Essex, ensuring that school attendance for these children remains a priority.
• Ensures that all interactions are captured rigorously and in a format which will stand up to court scrutiny in cases which result in court action.
• Using a solution focused approach to develop clear plans which include robust directions for all parties who have a role in securing an improvement in a pupil's school attendance patterns - setting deadlines for actions and progressing all cases in a timely manner and within expected time frames.
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that cases are effectively progressed to achieve desired outcomes.
• Delivers appropriate challenge to schools and families where pupils are prevented from accessing an education to ensure obstacles can be highlighted and plans instigated to overcome such barriers.
• Ensures compliance with statutory requirements, including equality and anti-discrimination legislation and robust processes are followed to ensure the effective management of concerns and complaints.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level in relevant subject area or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Evidence of ability to interpret information and data to achieve positive outcomes and improve standards.
• Significant experience within an education environment which evidences expert knowledge and understanding of the work involved in ensuring that families understand the importance of school attendance and the consequences that they may face, if regular attendance and engagement are not achieved via a collaborative approach.
• Experienced in taking responsibility for developing and managing own workload, including significant experience of managing change in a complex environment.
• Experience of delivering public services in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Good communication skills evident, able to approach key stakeholders with empathy whilst utilising excellent negotiation skill, challenging others and holding key partners to account.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email.

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