Specialist Officer - Looked After Children (LAC) and Care Leavers in Rotherham

Specialist Officer - Looked After Children (LAC) and Care Leavers

Hours; Full time (37 hours each week, all year-round)

Duration; Permanent

Salary; £29,455 a year + benefits

Location; Working across all of our sites (Dearne Valley College, Rotherham College and North Notts College) in Rotherham and Worksop

About The Role

RNN Group is seeking a dedicated, highly organised Looked After Children (LAC) & Care Leavers Specialist Officer to lead our operational statutory duties and multi-agency coordination for care-experienced learners.

Serving as the primary operational link between the College, Virtual Schools, Local Authority Social Care teams, and internal curriculum departments, you will ensure statutory obligations under Department for Education (DfE) guidance are rigorously met. This role manages end-to-end statutory casework; including scheduling, chairing, and completing electronic Personal Education Plans (ePEPs), tracking attendance and progress data across local authority portals, and coordinating early interventions for Looked After Children (LAC), Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), and Care Leavers (CL).

Key Responsibilities

• Statutory Casework & ePEP Management: Coordinate, schedule, chair, and complete statutory ePEPs within statutory timeframes, liaising with social workers, Virtual School Headteachers, foster carers, personal advisers (PAs), and curriculum teams.




• Portal & Data Systems Management: Navigate and maintain multiple Local Authority Virtual School portals (e.g., Welfare Call, ePEP Online) to ensure all statutory records, progress updates, and targets are logged accurately.




• Funding Allocation & Impact: Oversee and monitor the draw-down and targeted impact of Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding and 16–19 Vulnerable Bursary allocations linked to agreed ePEP targets.




• Multi-Agency Liaison: Act as the Designated Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for external agencies, including Virtual Schools, Children’s Social Care teams, Leaving Care services, and Youth Justice Services across multiple local authorities.




• Caseload & Attendance Intervention: Maintain a central tracking database of care-experienced learners from pre-enrolment to progression. Monitor attendance, retention, and achievement daily/weekly using college MIS platforms, implementing rapid early interventions when risks arise.




• Transition & Pastoral Advocacy: Manage targeted pre-entry transition planning for care-experienced applicants, provide trauma-informed operational advocacy, and act as an \"Emotionally Available Adult\" during critical casework interventions.




• Compliance & Safeguarding: Ensure all casework strictly adheres to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), Working Together to Safeguard Children, DfE statutory guidance, and the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR.

You will…

Experienced within learner support strategies, working with vulnerable young people specifically ‘looked after children’, ‘care leavers’ and ‘young carers’ to develop positive support strategies, to motivate and inspire others to overcome barriers and succeed.

You will be able to work with others both internally and externally through partnership development.

You will have strong safeguarding experience, knowledge and be able to manage cases to signpost and offer support to learners.

You will hold a Level 2 (or equivalent) qualification in English and Maths (or be willing to undertake), a level 3 (or equivalent) qualification in health and social care, youth work or social studies. Having a Level 3 (or higher) teaching qualification would be advantageous.

We understand that no candidate will perfectly match every qualification or criterion listed. If your experience differs from what we've outlined but you believe you can contribute to this role,

Department Info

You will be joining a forward-thinking, collaborative team reporting directly to the Director of Safeguarding and Student Support. Working alongside Safeguarding, Student Support, and Curriculum teams, you will be part of a joined-up ecosystem entirely focused on student success. If you are ready to make a tangible, lasting difference in the lives of young people who need it most, we want to hear from you.

Our Excellent Benefits And Rewards Package

• Access to local government pension scheme (with employer contributions from 15.6%)




• Up to 41 days annual leave per year including closure during Christmas period




• Access to our gyms, restaurants and salons




• Staff health & wellbeing and benefits schemes including in-house Occupational Health service




• Extensive wellbeing support through a digital Wellbeing Hub that offers a broad range of support for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.




• Full, part time and flexible working hours available in many roles




• Free Parking available at all of our sites




• Fantastic career development opportunities including funding for teacher training, apprenticeships and various other industry recognised qualifications




• New FE teachers can also apply for grants of up to £6,000 in STEM subjects (conditions apply) through the teacher retention initiative




• Recruitment Referral Scheme for all employees, worth £200 per referral made

What is the RNN Group?

RNN Group’s main goal is to be an ‘outstanding’ education and training provider and this is at the heart of everything that we do. To help us achieve this we are looking to recruit highly motivated, innovative and dynamic individuals to join our existing teams. To be a part of the team at RNN Group we will expect you to be committed to our values too;

• We are Inclusive,




• We have Integrity,




• We Deliver,




• We are One Team.

We are OFSTED ‘Good’ (November 2022)

We celebrate diversity and are proud to be recognised as Investors in Diversity for our commitment to the FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) model, fostering a supportive environment for all. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of background, proudly participating in the Disability Confident Scheme, and provide reasonable adjustments.

The RNN Group is proud to be part of the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT).

As a newly designated Defence Technical Excellence College, RNN Group is proud to support the UK’s defence sector by developing the next generation of highly skilled technical talent.

RNN Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), all appointments are subject to rigorous safer recruitment checks. Successful candidates will undergo pre-employment screening, including an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (with Barred List check where applicable), online background checks, satisfactory references, and verification of identity, qualifications, and right to work in the UK.

The Group’s core operating hours are 8.30am-5.00pm (9pm on a Tuesday and Thursday during term time). You may be expected to work at any time during these hours to ensure business needs are met.

All candidates must have the legal right to work in the UK.

Closing date: Monday 23 November 2026 – if you are shortlisted for this post, you will be contacted within a week of the closing date.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please contact the HR department on 01709 722750 or recruitment@rnngroup.ac.uk

#J-18808-Ljbffr