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The Leicestershire Virtual School supports our looked-after children and care leavers to access high quality education and achieve their potential. We are firmly focused on raising aspirations and narrowing attainment and progress gaps to improve outcomes and life chances. We also offer advice and advocacy to previously looked after children and all those with a social worker. https://resources.leicestershire.gov.uk/leicestershire-virtual-school

We wish to appoint an Extended Duties Education Advisor to have responsibility for promoting the education of previously looked after young people and support our senior education advisor for all children with a social worker, by working collaboratively with a range of partners and agencies, including social workers, education settings and adaptors. You will coordinate the duty desk in order to provide timely support and advice to professionals and families.

This role will involve advocating for parents and advising schools/colleges, settings and key professionals on strategies that address emerging educational and behavioural issues and lead to improved outcomes for children who are previously looked after and resident in Leicestershire. The role involves leading work on Trauma informed practice, including projects and direct work with schools to develop policy and practice across Leicestershire.

Understanding the barriers faced by previously looked after children and children with a social worker is key to successful delivery of duties. The Leicestershire Virtual School is at the forefront of promoting understanding of attachment theory and trauma-informed practice which will enable you to support, challenge and advocate on behalf these young people. In addition, you will be supported to acquire in-depth knowledge and understanding of DfE statutory guidance as it relates to the education of looked after children and previously looked after children, alongside the Virtual schools extended duties to support all children with a social worker.

You will be confident at communicating effectively and accurately both in writing and orally, chairing and attending meetings delivered online or face to face. You will be efficient and organised, yet keen to bring innovation and creativity to deliver service improvements. You must be able to work on your own initiative, but with the support from our caring, supportive and committed team.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must:

Please ensure that you cover all 7 points in your application and provide clear examples and evidence of how each point has been met

A relevant Level 6 qualification e.g. qualified teacher status or Substantial experience of working in a school / college / alternative education / local authority education service
Experience of providing attachment and trauma strategies to support with children and young people and/or care leavers in education.
Excellent understanding of the barriers children with a social worker and previously looked after children may experience in accessing educational opportunities.
Knowledge of legislation and guidance relating to education and specifically to children in care and extended duties.
Able to develop and maintain good working relationships and professional partnerships with a range of stakeholders
Able to influence and persuade in order to negotiate successful outcomes.
Experience of supporting, signposting and giving advise to peers and professionals

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Donna Chapman - Virtual School Head and Service Manager

Telephone: 01163052174

Email: Donna.Chapman@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About us

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us

Salary range

£39,939 - £42,699 per year