This permanent post sits within Cheshire East Council's vulnerable pupils work, leading a locality team that tackles poor school attendance. The role combines managing Education Family Support and Educated Other Than at School staff with a small caseload of complex cases and advising schools on attendance policy. It also covers court work, legal reports and truancy patrols with the police, plus oversight of Children Missing Education and electively home educated cases. Fit depends on Level 4 education welfare and advice qualifications and proven line management experience.
What the job involves
- Manage a team of Education Family Support and Educated Other Than at School staff to target attendance interventions
- Hold a small caseload of complex attendance cases and attend Children Missing Education meetings
- Advise, consult and challenge schools on Fixed Penalty Notices for attendance, and monitor their impact
- Prepare legal reports, including PACE procedures and Education Supervision Order applications, and attend court as primary witness
- Carry out statutory supervision in attendance cases
- Work with schools and agencies on attendance policies, including Attendance Panels, Parenting Contracts, attendance reviews and statutory register checks
- Organise truancy patrols in localities, undertake them with the police, and follow up cases with schools and parents
- Collect and analyse attendance data to monitor pupils, school practice and allocation of support
- Allocate cases for Children Missing Education and oversee electively home educated (EHE) cases
- Carry out assessments for Parenting Orders directed by the court and act as responsible officer where needed
- Enforce child employment and child entertainment licensing regulations
- Advise schools on child protection case management and County procedures
What’s required
Qualifications
- Education Welfare Certificate Level 4
- NVQ Level 4 in Advice and Guidance
- Diploma or degree in youth and community social work, or equivalent
Experience
- Proven line management of staff
- Proven experience delivering targeted education support, guidance and advice to improve school attendance
- Extensive experience working with families using a range of interventions to increase school attendance
- Proven experience of multi-agency Early Help assessments
- Sound experience identifying safeguarding concerns and escalating cases Experience managing staff who work one-to-one in family homes or with groups of parents, children and young people
Skills & knowledge
- Accurate, timely recording of sensitive, confidential or complex information, including risk assessments
What’s offered
- Enhanced annual leave of 34 days rising to 39 after five years, including bank holidays
- Option to purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year
- 37-hour full-time week with flexi-time and hybrid or remote working where possible
- Salary sacrifice schemes for green car leasing, white goods and cycle to work
- Career average public pension, accruing at 1/49th of pensionable pay
- Employee assistance programme, free and confidential
- Discounted gym membership with Everybody Leisure
- Guaranteed yearly pay increases
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Contact Details:
The Methodist Church in Britain Recruitment Team
