School Liaison Officer (West Kent)

Role Responsibility

9-month Fixed Term Contract/Secondment (Sep 2022 – May 2023)

Hours: 4 days per week (29.5 hours), 40 weeks per year (Term Time Only)

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the PRU, Inclusion and Attendance Service and 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, we work to improve access to education for all children and young people, by raising school attendance and reducing exclusion. 

We are looking for a practitioner who has a comprehensive knowledge of the education system and experience of working in this field, together with the ability to communicate effectively with parents and carers.

As a School Liaison Officer, you will provide specialist guidance to schools, parents and multi-agency partners regarding the statutory requirements relating to school attendance and exclusions, as set out by the Department for Education. You will need to have the ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with school staff, including headteachers.

Integrated and preventative working is key to our practice, you will need to be able to demonstrate the ability to work in a multi-agency environment and to take a solution focused approach when dealing with complex and challenging situations.

There are occasions when legal intervention is pursued by the local authority against parents who fail to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. A high standard of report writing, with attention to detail, whilst meeting tight deadlines, is therefore essential.

This role will require visiting schools, family homes and other locations as required. The successful candidate will need to be able to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner and, on occasion, outside of core business hours.

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.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Interviews are scheduled to take on 22nd, 23rd & 24th August 2022. 

Contact Details

Please contact the recruiting manager using the details below as soon as possible if you are unable to attend an interview on these dates. 

For any enquiries, 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.