Education Welfare Officer

Overall Purpose of the Post:
• To discharge the Local Authority’s statutory duty to ensure that all children receive an education in line with current legislation within; Education Act 1996 section 444.
• To manage a caseload working as part of a multi-agency team to support the Local Authorities statutory duty, ensuring every child receives a suitable education by adopting a whole family, strengths-based approach in order to reduce risk thus increasing resilience and improving outcomes for children. Lead and attend multi-agency meetings to help support a better outcome for the family and inevitably improve the child/ young person’s school attendance.
• To implement the delivery of a high performing targeted service meeting the requirements of the DfE and local guidelines.
• To ensure that services are delivered in compliance with relevant legislation, local and national policy and guidance in challenging, difficult and sensitive circumstances.
Key Outcomes/ Activities
To undertake all aspects of Education Welfare Officer role.
To manage a caseload of electively home educated pupils in liaison with the Cluster Education Welfare Officer
To provide support, clear advice and guidance to professionals in universal settings regarding school attendance, developing appropriate actions plans with regard to attendance thus meeting agreed Service Level commitments with schools.
To ensure that prompt, consistent and rigorous intervention in line with statutory processes for pupils with poor attendance is robust, and advising schools and academies regarding compliance with legislation/DfE guidance in relation to attendance, where appropriate identify and challenge poor practice.
To provide support to schools with regard to safeguarding issues around non-attendance for example quick identification of absence indicating a potential Child Missing Education or a school refuser and exploitation of vulnerable children through; County Lines, Sexual exploitation etc.), advocating for children and families.
Caseload
Elective Home Education (EHE)
To monitor and ensure that suitable education is evidenced which is provided by parents and carers who opt for Elected Home Education.
Maintain Wakefield Education Welfare Service register for EHE pupils.
Liaise with EHE parents/carers in line with legislation, receiving reports of work undertaken.
Liaise with other external partners such as the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to ensure information is triangulated as per safeguarding procedures
Contribute to policy development
Participate in assessments
Through the use of the EHE database, provide updates to the Senior Education Welfare Officer as required
Maintain databases to ensure we meet Ofsted requirements for having up to date information for statistical analysis
Provide statistical information for regular FOI requests
Develop links with other authorities with regard to EHE
Regular interrogation of background information to be produced for a number of operational panels
To promote school attendance via attendance strategies, assemblies, punctuality clinics, open evenings, parents’ evenings, induction and transition groups, group work, individual work, certificates, incentives and rewards, coordinate and chair meetings, with school staff to review school attendance figures and suggest appropriate action, having a vision to promote positive attendance
Pay rate: £19 per hour umbrella
Three to six months contract with view to extend or make permanent
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