Attendance Re-engagement Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

To support in the implementation of Working Together to Improve School Attendance. The role of the Attendance Re-engagement Officer is to establish strong relationships with children (with identified SEN support and emotionally based school avoidance), young people, parents, carers and schools to enable a thorough understanding of barriers to them achieving positive outcomes and, using appropriate intervention techniques and direct work, develop their resilience, strengthen family relationships and prevent the need for more intensive or specialist services and to improve their school attendance. The role is also to engage with children, young people and families using a holistic approach to include them in assessment, planning, goal setting and decision making. In addition, the role includes working with partner agencies and coordinating and driving a joint family-based approach.

To complement the work of the Education Welfare Officers by working with families as the identified lead professional, supporting attendance at school through face to face work liaising with other professionals as appropriate.

Working with children who have unauthorised absence or who are designated as persistent absentees to understand the reasons for absence and resolve the issues. To work as part of the Team Around the Child meetings to inform reasons for poor attendance and to work to resolve these.

1. Specific duties and responsibilities include:

Be knowledgeable and skilled in identifying the early signs of abuse and neglect and following agreed local protocols for ensuring children and young people are protected from harm/risk of harm (e.g. report a child at risk of significant neglect to social care).

Be the lead professional for a caseload of children with varying SEN needs; manage time effectively and maximise time spent on direct work delivering support as part of an attendance action plan. These cases will be at SEN Support level and the lead professional will have the CA09-1927 Attendance Re-engagement Officer March 2025 Page 5 of 11 knowledge and skills to engage with the child/family at these levels of need.

Preparing an attendance action plan that addresses the barriers to attendance and supports re-engagement and clearly reflects the voice of the child and family.

Acting as a single point of contact for the child and their family and school attendance team.

Using a relationship-based model of practice, help the child and family to define the goals and desired outcomes that support attendance re-engagement and help them set the priority order for delivering them.

Coordinating the attendance action plan, tracking and ensuring all contributors are effectively delivering on time.

Specifically work with the family around school attendance issues, this will involve early morning work in the family home.

Leading and facilitating Team Around the Child meetings; capturing agreed actions and ensuring the lead for each action is doing what they had committed to do (and on time).

Capturing and recording relevant actions, events and decisions in accordance with case management principles.

Working in partnership with parents to encourage independence and self-reliance and helping them to develop a consistent and positive approach to attendance.

Supporting parents to provide an appropriate environment in which children and young people feel safe and which encourages the development of their self-esteem and resilience.

Understanding the barriers to attendance from a childs perspective including where their SEND and low mental health & emotional wellbeing is impacting upon engagement.

Understanding adult difficulties and the impact they have on children, tailoring support and delivering effective joint working accordingly.

Work collaboratively with EWOs to support schools in development of the wider school attendance practice.

Working directly with children providing appropriate and tailored support to address a range of developmental needs including emotionally based school avoidance.

Act as the supervising officer for court ordered parenting orders and education supervision orders.

May be required to transport children to school as determined to be in the childs best interests and as part of the clear attendance action plan to support self-sufficient re-engagement. Working within a legislative framework.

Operating within relevant policy, legal, ethical and professional boundaries when working with children and families.

Effectively delivering all statutory requirements.

Following local practice standards and protocols. Supervision and continual development.

Actively engaging in individual and group supervision and embed learning in practice.

Maintaining up to date knowledge and skills as required by the role.

Participating in appraisal and team meetings and contribute to individual and team development. CA09-1927 Attendance Re-engagement Officer March 2025 Page 6 of 11 Specific requirements for this post: Flexible Working There will be a requirement to work with children and families around school attendance issues, this will involve early morning work in the family home.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• High level of relevant and practical experience acquired on the job.
• An advanced understanding of relevant procedures and working practices.
• Advanced knowledge of specialist function relevant to service area.
• Excellent ICT skills including use of Microsoft applications and specialist systems.
• Significant experience of working with clients and client groups with complex needs.
• Proven ability to carry out client risk assessments to identify eligibility for service provision and/or
• risk of harm.
• Proven ability to advise and guide clients to encourage development and to access services to
• which they are entitled.
• Ability to build trust and confidence with clients, client groups and colleagues.
• Proven ability to interpret situations, analyse behaviours to make judgements and deliver
• interventions to achieve outcomes.
• Proven ability to deliver training.

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 4 or equivalent significant experience in a relevant field (with a commitment to
• undertake qualification as required) e.g. SEND, Health, social care, early years, adult
• education, education, working with parents.
• Proven experience of working with vulnerable children.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of child development.
• Committed to improving outcomes for children and families.
• Understanding of child protection policies and procedures and the importance of safeguarding
• children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Direct experience of working with families;
• o Practical knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable families and being aware
• of any issues a practitioner may face while working with vulnerable families.
• o Experience of setting appropriate professional boundaries with families.
• o Experience of engaging parents in community activities.
• o Knowledge and direct experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships
• with parents; practical experience of working with parents one-to-one and experience of
• providing support to families in their own home; confidence and ability to work alone and
• prepared to work with families in their own homes.
• o Experience of facilitating group work for parents.
• o Knowledge of child development and its influence on parent/child relationship in every
• stage of childs development.
• o Ability to engage and motivate resistant and hard to reach families.
• Direct experience of working in partnership with schools.
• Able to communicate effectively and concisely and with a range of different individuals and
• groups and using various mediums (verbal, written, etc).
• Ability to effectively plan and prioritise workload associated with case work.
• Knowledge of additional support services available for families and experience of signposting
• or referring families to these services.
• Experience in supporting families to make positive choices.
• Experience of supporting parents in managing childrens challenging behavior relating to
• school attendance.
• Ability to travel locally and countywide.
• Able to keep excellent records of work.
• Able to use IT systems.
• Committed to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Fluent in English

Desirable

• Experience of working with families with complex needs who typically find it difficult to engage
• with services.
• Demonstrable experience of sharing information to improve outcomes.
• Experience of using the Early Support Assessment (ESA) or an equivalent holistic early help
• assessment to improve outcomes for children.
• Experience of support children with emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 4 or equivalent significant experience in a relevant field (with a commitment to
• undertake qualification as required) e.g. SEND, Health, social care, early years, adult
• education, education, working with parents.
• Proven experience of working with vulnerable children.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of child development.
• Committed to improving outcomes for children and families.
• Understanding of child protection policies and procedures and the importance of safeguarding
• children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Direct experience of working with families;
• o Practical knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable families and being aware
• of any issues a practitioner may face while working with vulnerable families.
• o Experience of setting appropriate professional boundaries with families.
• o Experience of engaging parents in community activities.
• o Knowledge and direct experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships
• with parents; practical experience of working with parents one-to-one and experience of
• providing support to families in their own home; confidence and ability to work alone and
• prepared to work with families in their own homes.
• o Experience of facilitating group work for parents.
• o Knowledge of child development and its influence on parent/child relationship in every
• stage of childs development.
• o Ability to engage and motivate resistant and hard to reach families.
• Direct experience of working in partnership with schools.
• Able to communicate effectively and concisely and with a range of different individuals and
• groups and using various mediums (verbal, written, etc).
• Ability to effectively plan and prioritise workload associated with case work.
• Knowledge of additional support services available for families and experience of signposting
• or referring families to these services.
• Experience in supporting families to make positive choices.
• Experience of supporting parents in managing childrens challenging behavior relating to
• school attendance.
• Ability to travel locally and countywide.
• Able to keep excellent records of work.
• Able to use IT systems.
• Committed to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Fluent in English

Desirable

• Experience of working with families with complex needs who typically find it difficult to engage
• with services.
• Demonstrable experience of sharing information to improve outcomes.
• Experience of using the Early Support Assessment (ESA) or an equivalent holistic early help
• assessment to improve outcomes for children.
• Experience of support children with emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Wiltshire Council

Address

County Hall

Bythesea Rd

Trowbridge

Wiltshire

BA14 8JN

Employer's website

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)