Attendance Compliance Officer – ESO Facilitator in Chelmsford

Attendance Compliance Officer – Education Supervision Order Facilitator

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. 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 that removes 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 to such concerns. The role is introduced to provide needed individual family support to facilitate improved school attendance and, where appropriate, to apply for ESOs via the Family Courts.

Candidates should have experience working in a statutory role focused on building relationships with children, young people, families, schools and key partners. This involves identifying causes of pupil absence and developing coordinated plans of action that remove barriers and sustain attendance improvements.

The Opportunity

This role focuses on ensuring the local authority fully utilises its statutory powers in relation to unauthorised pupil absence, with a key focus on Education Supervision Orders. The role involves negotiating with schools, families and partners to secure the right course of action to protect children’s right to education, building trust with families, providing clear directions and achieving positive attendance outcomes.

Accountabilities

• Utilises specialist skills and knowledge to meet statutory responsibilities for children who are failing to attend school regularly, ensuring all internal and external responsibilities and deadlines are met.
• Provides expert advice and guidance to key stakeholders and families to meet the educational needs of vulnerable children and young people.
• Works collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to prioritise school attendance for vulnerable children within Essex.
• Ensures all interactions are captured rigorously and in a format that will stand up to court scrutiny in cases resulting in court action.
• Uses a solution‑focused approach to develop clear plans with robust directions for all parties, setting action deadlines and progressing cases timely and within expected time frames.
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to ensure cases are effectively progressed to achieve desired outcomes.
• Delivers appropriate challenge to schools and families where pupils are prevented from accessing education, ensuring obstacles are highlighted and plans are instigated to overcome barriers.
• Ensures compliance with statutory requirements, including equality and anti‑discrimination legislation, and follows robust processes for managing 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 a relevant subject area or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in the relevant professional area.
• Evidence of the ability to interpret information and data to achieve positive outcomes and improve standards.
• Significant experience within an education environment that evidences expert knowledge and understanding of ensuring families understand the importance of school attendance and the consequences of non‑attendance.
• Experience in taking responsibility for developing and managing own workload, including significant experience of managing change in a complex environment.
• Experience delivering public services in a complex, multi‑stakeholder environment.
• Good communication skills, able to approach key stakeholders with empathy while utilising excellent negotiation skill, challenging others and holding key partners to account.

Requirements

• Mobile throughout an operational area.
• The post holder will need a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet mobility requirements through other means.
• As part of employment, if the role requires a DBS check the applicant will be required to register with the DBS update service.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Essex County Council is a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to interviewing all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements of the role. We also commit to interviewing all veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements.

Benefits

Support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate carers’ needs.

Code of Conduct

We value integrity and ethical behaviour. We ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.