Education - Family Support Worker

Education - Family Support Worker

At Cheshire East we’re offering an opportunity for someone to help transform lives and to play a defining role in the next chapter for children and families in Cheshire East as we build something special, to last.

We have an exciting opportunity for a permanent full-time Education – Family Support Worker, based within Crewe and Macclesfield. The role will be to devise, implement and review individual education support plans/pathway plans for children, young people and their families to support children to increase their attendance at school.

About the Role

The role will be to support children, young people and their families in the community through a range of interventions which improve family / individual functioning and ensure that children can attend school in order for them to reach their full education potential.

We are looking for a passionate and committed professional who believes in the power of relationships to create lasting change for children and families.

You will be motivated by working alongside children, young people, families, schools and partner agencies to identify and overcome barriers to education, attendance and wellbeing. Through building trusting relationships, providing targeted support and coordinating effective interventions, you will help families to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.

This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people, supporting them to engage in education, improve their life chances and thrive within their communities. You will be part of a supportive and dedicated team committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed.

In this role you will:

• Act as an Education key worker to a caseload of children, young people and their families, working in partnership with them and any other relevant persons to identify and meet their assessed needs and focus on supporting children to increase their attendance at school.
• Devise, implement and review individual support plans/pathway plans so that families are properly supported to the standards identified in the service specification.
• Maintain effective record systems to enable the preparation of necessary reports to contribute to the care planning process.
• Be aware of and comply with the statutory requirements, departmental policies, equal opportunities and other regulations and procedures in order to ensure statutory and Departmental requirements are met. This will include issuing attendance orders and supporting schools to issue Fixed Penalty notices if the need arises.
• Network with local schools in order to increase the range of support interventions and strategies to support pupils to increase their attendance at school.
• Ensure that good communication and liaison is sustained throughout the team and with relevant external people, so that appropriate resources may be identified and mobilized for the benefit of the individual.
• Evaluate the provision of service and contribute to the policy / planning processes within the team, involving service users and potential users to ensure the continuing relevance to the service specification.
• Be responsible for the health and safety of staff and individuals and the health and safety of equipment and operations within the team in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act

The successful candidate will bring

• NVQ level 3 in Childcare, or equivalent (e.g. BTEC Nursery Nursing, Level 3 certificate in EYFS practice etc.*)
• Grade A-C GCSEs, or equivalent, including English and Math’s.
• Evidence of continuous professional development accessing relevant training.
• Experience in working with families using range interventions to increase the attendance of children in school.
• Experience of undertaking multi agency Early Help assessments of child/family needs.
• Experience of identifying safeguarding concerns and completing appropriate escalation of cases.
• Experience of working 1-2-1 in a family home or working with groups of parents, children and young people to resolve issues within the family that are a barrier to the children going to school.
• Understanding of the impact of external/internal factors on children, where there is domestic violence, disability, drugs, alcohol and mental health and the impact this can have on children attending school or how they present at school.
• Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding procedures, processes, policies and best practice.

In return we are able to offer:

• A competitive salary - Between £32,578 per annum - £35,570 per annum (CEC NJC – Grade 7) with guaranteed yearly pay increases.
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexi-time and hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There’s no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
• Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
• Off-Peak Racket Sports
• Athletics Tracks
• Sauna/Steam/Spa

Join us and experience a workplace that truly values and supports you!

How to apply

We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.

To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Rebecca Reaney at rebecca.reaney@cheshireeast.gov.uk, they will be happy to hear from you! Please remember to include the job reference so we know which role you are interested in.

Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.

If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, and we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!

We wish you all the best in your application and if you run into any technical issues, our friendly team are here to help at: sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk.

Cheshire East Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults across the Borough. As such, any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings that are ‘not protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 (as amended in 2013) relating to the non-disclosure of spent convictions do not apply to this job. You must therefore, disclose whether you have any previous convictions where prompted to do so within the application process.

Attachments

• Education - Family Support Worker Job Description and Specification.pdf