Elective Home Education Officer in Hemel Hempstead

Starting Salary: £34,434 with the opportunity to progress to £37,280 per annum

Hours: 37.0

Location: Stevenage or Hemel Hempstead with some travel across Hertfordshire (Hybrid working)

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate: Childrens Services

About The Team

Elective Home Education is growing within Hertfordshire County Council. The Elective Home Education team supports and provides guidance to parents who have chosen to educate their child outside of the school system. The team identifies those children who are not in receipt of a full time education, suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs. We are a very experienced team made up of Officers and a Coordinator who are all committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people in Hertfordshire.

You will collaborate with the other EHE Officers and will be supported by the EHE Coordinator. You will also establish excellent working relationships with a wide variety of professionals. You will learn and develop sound practice through an established induction programme and ongoing professional support.

About The Role

This is a key role providing advice and support to parents who are home educating. You will build a bank of knowledge to be able to signpost parents to relevant services and educational resources. You may offer ideas for alternative ways in which parents could engage their child in learning, taking into account their unique needs and interests.

You will gather information from parents about the education they are providing and request further information where it is unclear that the education is suitable. You could receive information from parents in a variety of ways eg: online forms, reports, over the phone, email, Teams calls or during a home visit and you will need to be able to draw all the information together in order to gain a full understanding of the child's provision.

You will regularly collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and attend meetings to support EHE families. You will liaise with other professionals such as social workers, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team, the Education Hub and Services for Young People.

You will ensure system reporting is accurate and that processes and practices are followed to maintain consistency across the county. You will also ensure data integrity and compliance.

You may make referrals to other services and take appropriate action where there are safeguarding concerns. If you identify a child who is not receiving a suitable education, you will refer them to the Children Missing Education Officer for further action. Your responsibilities and tasks may change according to the needs of the team.

About You

• Essential Qualifications: Degree level education or equivalent and excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to listen to and support parents, whilst also sharing important information regarding expectations around home education.
• Demonstrable experience of working with children, young people and families including those with special educational needs, disabilities, or mental health difficulties.
• Confidence to provide challenge to parents when it is unclear as to whether the education they are providing is suitable.
• Ability to manage complex situations and be skilled at having difficult conversations whilst maintaining professionalism.
• Capability to make independent decisions and recognise when a collaborative approach is appropriate.
• Competency in IT: navigation of systems, record keeping; proficiency in Word and ideally Excel and PowerPoint.
• Teamwork skills and self‐motivation to work independently and unsupervised.
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience of working with Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCPs).
• Deep understanding of home education government guidance and a good understanding of CME, safeguarding, SEND and the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) community.
• Effective assessment, evaluation and problem solving and ability to be alert to safeguarding concerns.
• Methodical approach to information gathering, recording and reporting with accurate and detailed notes.
• Effective organisational skills to prioritise workload and manage competing demands and pressures.
• Ability to travel to different workplaces for meetings and to visit families at their home or elsewhere when necessary.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

EHE Officers are crucial team members helping the Local Authority to fulfil its statutory duties and responsibilities relating to Elective Home Education and will be making an impact by supporting parents to provide a suitable education for their child and therefore improving their educational experiences and outcomes.

Requirements and Compliance:

• Disability Confident employer: guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
• Requires a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.
• Driving required: ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire using own transport or a company car.
• English fluency: ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English; for those whose language is a signed language, a sign language interpreter will be required.