CHILDREN MISSING EDUCATION INVESTIGATING OFFICER

West Sussex Pupil Entitlement Investigation team is recruiting to its Children Missing Education team. The post is key to ensuring all children receive the education they are entitled to. This is an opportunity to develop an expertise and understanding within a vital area of education and make a valuable contribution to ensuring children receive an effective education.

As a CME officer you will report to the Manager for CME and will play a key role within the Pupil Entitlement team, balancing an office-based role with travel across the county. They will also work closely with a range of teams and families, gathering information and making informed decisions. Key to the role is building effective relationships with families, schools and key partners to ensure children are in receipt of the education they are entitled too. This is a Part Tme, all year-round position (.85 FTE) and you are accountable to the CME / CIEE Manager.

Salary: NJC Grade 8 £28,371 to £31,099 (Pro -rata £24,537 to £26,896)

Working pattern: Part time 32 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Locations: Worthing / Horsham

Closing date: 24 March 2023

For this role you will be expected to demonstrate a strong ability to work independently, showing effective organisational skills and diary management. They must be confident in considering a wide range of information to form a judgement and confident in their decision making. They must be an excellent communicator in person, by phone, email and report writing and have the ability to engage with and build positive working relationships with families, wider professionals and team members.

Key Skills:

• Developed advisory, negotiation, advocacy and persuasion skills to provide advice and encourage others to adopt a particular course of action they may not otherwise wish to take
• Ability to organise/prioritise work, co-ordinate a variety of tasks in a clear and logical way and meet agreed deadlines.
• Perceptive, investigative and analytical skills with which to make assessments within guidelines.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills for a variety of tasks e.g. participating in meetings, working with other agencies, attending case conferences and Court proceedings.
• Motivated to protect the interests of children.
• Building and maintaining positive working relationships with schools, families, team members and other agencies.
• Providing schools, families and other professionals with advice and guidance.
• Carrying out visits to families to resolve questions around educational provision.
• To support and contribute to the safeguarding of children who are CME.
• To work with and share information with other agencies to promote an individual child’s well-being and make referrals as appropriate.
• Maintaining up to date knowledge and understanding of CME legislation.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• NVQ level 3 or A level or equivalent qualification or experience.
• Experience of successful work with children/families/ schools to achieve positive outcomes.
• Ability to communicate effectively with other professionals and customers to share knowledge and decisions.
• Ability to engage and work with families in a positive, open manner to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Commitment to continuous professional development and an understanding of the value of developing skills and expertise within a specialist area to improve outcomes for children and young people.
• Knowledge and understating of the wider legislative frameworks relating to Children’s Services.
• Ability to contribute to decision making to promote the best outcome for a child and family with other professionals and provide advice and guidance.
• Sound knowledge of Educational Law and Duties of the Local Authority relating to Children Missing Education and an ability to translate those into meaningful child and family focused practice.
• Competent in using multiple databases for extracting and analysing data appropriately.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

• A competitive salary
• A generous pension scheme
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• Flexible working
• A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
• Free access to employee assistance programmes
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
• A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

The reference number for this role is CAFHE04383 .

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Andrew Parker at andrew.parker@westsussex.gov.uk for issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced SWE Registration, DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.