Early Attendance Support Worker

About the Role

St Ultan's Childcare Project is seeking an enthusiastic and committed Early Attendance Support Worker to join our team. This innovative role is funded through the Cherry Orchard Implementation Board (COIB) as part of the COIB Action Plan and focuses on improving attendance among children in the early years. Working closely with families, schools and Early Years services, you will provide early intervention and practical support to encourage positive attendance habits before long-term patterns of absenteeism become established.

Background

School attendance has declined significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. This challenge is particularly evident in DEIS schools and within the Cherry Orchard community. Poor attendance in the early years is strongly associated with lower educational attainment, increased risk of early school leaving, and poorer long term outcomes. St Ultan's Childcare Project has developed this role to provide timely, preventative support that helps children establish positive attendance patterns from the beginning of their educational journey.

The Role

As an Early Attendance Support Worker, you will work as part of the St Ultan's team alongside parents, schools and local Early Years services to improve attendance for children up to six years of age. You will support a caseload of identified junior infant and Early Years who attend infrequently. Through relationship-based practice, practical support and partnership working, you will help families overcome barriers to attendance while ensuring that those requiring additional support are referred to the appropriate services.

Key Responsibilities

• Build supportive relationships with identified children and their families.
• Monitor, record and track school and Early Years attendance.
• Promote the importance and benefits of regular attendance.
• Design, deliver and review early interventions to improve attendance.
• Identify barriers to attendance and support families to address them.
• Refer families to appropriate services where additional support is required.
• Work collaboratively with schools, Early Years settings and partner agencies.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to the collection and reporting of attendance and outcome data.
• Participate as an integrated member of the St Ultan's team and the wider Cherry Orchard Early Years network.

Essential Qualifications and Knowledge Person Specification

• A relevant third-level qualification (minimum QQI Level 7) in Youth Work, Social Work, Social Care, Community Development, Early Childhood Education, Education or a related discipline. Applicants with a lower-level qualification may be considered where they have substantial relevant experience.
• Understanding of local social, cultural and community context.
• Knowledge of child protection legislation and education welfare systems.

Essential Experience

• A minimum of two years' experience working in a relevant professional setting.
• Experience of working collaboratively with families and partner agencies.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of outreach work and/or home visiting.
• Confidence in engaging with families within their home environment.
• Experience supporting children and families experiencing disadvantage or barriers to engagement.

Essential Skills

• The ability to design, implement and evaluate effective interventions.
• Strong relationship-building and engagement skills with children and families.
• The ability to work independently while managing competing priorities.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• A collaborative approach to multi-agency working.
• Professional communication, report writing and IT skills.
• A commitment to maintaining professional boundaries and working in an empowering, strengths based manner.

Essential Requirement

• A full, clean driving licence.
• Full-time access to a personal car for use within the role.

Join Our Team

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative early intervention initiative that will make a meaningful difference to children's educational journeys and family wellbeing within the Cherry Orchard community. If you are passionate about supporting children and families and believe in the power of early intervention, we would love to hear from you.