Attendance Re-engagement Officer

Hours per week:37 hours

Temporary/Fixed term:24 months

Interview date:Monday 30 June 2025

Education and Skills - Building Bright Futures

Are you passionate about helping children and young people overcome barriers to education? Join our Targeted Education Service and play a vital role in improving school attendance and life chances for vulnerable learners across Wiltshire.

Main duties of the job As an Attendance Re-engagement Officer, youll work directly with children and families - to understand the root causes of absence and help them re-engage with education. Youll build strong, trusting relationships, deliver tailored interventions, and work closely with schools and partner agencies to create lasting change.

This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same. Youll be the lead professional for families, supporting them in their homes, attending Team Around the Child meetings, and helping to shape personalised plans that make a real difference.

Were looking for someone with experience supporting vulnerable children and families, a strong understanding of child development and safeguarding, and the confidence to work independently. Youll need to be flexible, resilient, and committed to improving outcomes for every child.

If youre ready to make a meaningful impact and be part of a supportive, forward-thinking team, wed love to hear from you.

Apply now and help us give every child the chance to thrive.

About us Why us?

Wiltshire Council is a friendly, welcoming place to work, with a 'One Council' ethos. Thats why we focus on getting the things that matter to our people right.Explore more benefits here!

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 (withidentified SEN support and emotionally based school avoidance), young people, parents, carers andschools to enable a thorough understanding of barriers to them achieving positive outcomes and, usingappropriate intervention techniques and direct work, develop their resilience, strengthen familyrelationships and prevent the need for more intensive or specialist services and to improve their schoolattendance.The role is also to engage with children, young people and families using a holistic approach to includethem in assessment, planning, goal setting and decision making. In addition, the role includes workingwith 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 identifiedlead professional, supporting attendance at school through face to face work liaising with otherprofessionals as appropriate.

Working with children who have unauthorised absence or who aredesignated 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 towork to resolve these.

1. Specific duties and responsibilities include:

Be knowledgeable and skilled in identifying the early signs of abuse and neglect and followingagreed local protocols for ensuring children and young people are protected from harm/risk ofharm (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 timeeffectively and maximise time spent on direct work delivering support as part of an attendanceaction plan. These cases will be at SEN Support level and the lead professional will have theCA09-1927 Attendance Re-engagement Officer March 2025 Page 5 of 11knowledge 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 supportsre-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 anddesired outcomes that support attendance re-engagement and help them set the priority orderfor delivering them.

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

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

Leading and facilitating Team Around the Child meetings; capturing agreed actions andensuring 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 casemanagement principles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May be required to transport children to school as determined to be in the childs best interestsand 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 withchildren 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 teamdevelopment.CA09-1927 Attendance Re-engagement Officer March 2025 Page 6 of 11Specific requirements for this post:Flexible WorkingThere will be a requirement to work with children and families around school attendance issues, thiswill involve early morning work in the family home.

Person Specification Experience

• 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

• 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
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