School Liaison Officer (SLO) - Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Minority Communities.

Role Responsibility

Term time only - 40 weeks per year

An exciting opportunity has emerged in the PRU, Inclusion and Attendance Service (PIAS) to recruit an individual with the determination to make a difference to the lives of children and young people in Kent.

Working in partnership with schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), Integrated Children’s Services and external agencies, our core aim is to improve access to education for children and young people, specifically focused on raising attendance and reducing exclusions.

We are looking for a practitioner with knowledge and experience within the education field to join the West Kent Team. You will work to improve school attendance and reduce exclusion from school for children in West Kent, particularly those from Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT), minority ethnic (ME) and bilingual backgrounds.

The role requires a creative and positive individual to work with children and families as well as to coordinate group projects in schools. The ability to build effective relationships is an essential element of the work. Face to face tasks will be conducted within family homes as well as school environments. A resilient and solution focused approach when dealing with complex and challenging situations is fundamental to success in securing positive outcomes.

There are occasions when statutory processes must be followed and legal intervention pursued by the Local Authority against parents who fail to secure their child’s regular school attendance, therefore a high standard of report writing and attention to detail whilst meeting tight deadlines is essential.

The ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day and on occasion outside of core business hours will be required.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Additionally, this post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Contact Details

For more information please contact:

Cathy Edwards, Education Inclusion Manager

Tel: 03000 411958

Email: catherine.edwards@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.