Attendance Support Officer

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dedicated individual to join our Children and Families Directorate in Birmingham City Council as an Attendance Support Officer. In this crucial role, you will hold a caseload to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the School Attendance Order Process, review part-time timetable notifications to ensure they are correct, and review legal intervention referrals from schools, specifically leave of absence referrals.,

• Advise parents/carers of their legal responsibilities regarding children not in receipt of education, in line with statutory regulations.
• Raise cases of child protection concern with the supervisor; referring to CASS as appropriate and attending any relevant CP meetings, as required.
• Contact schools regarding part-time timetables where there is concern about the length of the arrangement and/or accuracy of the data provided, liaising with other agencies as appropriate.
• Review Leave of Absence referrals from schools, assisting in issuing penalty notices as applicable, ensuring that timescales and statutory deadlines are met.
• Review contesting applications from parents related to penalty notices issued for leave of absence in term time.
• Undertake home visits as appropriate in relation to School Attendance Orders to encourage parental support to secure suitable education.
• Liaise with schools, other BCC services and other local authorities in relation to School Attendance Orders to obtain places for those out of school with minimum delay.
• Liaise with the Legal Intervention Coordinators to prepare Section 9 Witness Statements for prosecution and to attend Trials as a witness as required.
• Liaising with all customers and colleagues on matters concerning individual cases, operating with a high degree of confidentiality at all times.
• Answer any queries promptly from parents and schools on School Attendance Orders and assisting in promoting awareness of raising attendance including advising schools of legal processes or signposting as appropriate.
• Refer families to other agencies where there are additional difficulties contributing to their children not being in receipt of education.
• Check team mailboxes regularly and responding to or resolving allocated queries raised by parents and schools
We are looking for candidates with a good standard of education, with evidence of continued professional development. You should have casework experience including the ability to work within statutory timescales; experience including comprehensive diary management, dealing with telephone enquiries and front-line contact with citizens; excellent organisational skills and the ability to plan work effectively; a high level of written and oral communication skills; a proven ability to work in partnership with parents and other agencies; the ability to negotiate and consult; an understanding of confidential issues including child protection concerns/ domestic violence; a positive and sensitive approach to work, colleagues and customers; an ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times; an ability to travel readily throughout the Birmingham City area, including home visits and school visits. In return, we offer a supportive and collaborative work environment where your contributions will be valued. You will have the opportunity to participate in regular supervision, team meetings, and professional development activities. We are committed to your growth and will provide training to enhance your knowledge of home education and safeguarding practices. By joining our team, you will be making a meaningful impact on the lives of children and their families in Birmingham.

If you have an interest in protecting the rights of children to full time education and have high level organisational skills and experience, we want to hear from you!

Please upload an up-to-date CV and Supporting Statement via the attachments part of your application. The Supporting Statement should outline how you meet the criteria for the role through your personal qualities, skills and experience and include your motivation for applying to the post. Note the Personal Statement should be no more than 1500 words. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV and Personal Statement attached Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people. We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application. For any informal enquires please contact the Resourcing Team A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken. Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed., Working for Birmingham City Council is more than just a job; it's about making life better for the 1 million plus people who live and work in the city., The Council is a fantastic place to work. You will find an organisation that is both challenging and supportive; with a leadership impatiently adventurous in its pursuit of excellence. There is a clear vision which is ensuring that the Council is working for communities today and building for tomorrow, we focus our resources on five key priorities:
• A Prosperous Birmingham: through a focus on inclusive economic growth, tackling unemployment, attracting inward investment, and maximising the benefits of the Commonwealth Games.
• An Inclusive Birmingham: through a focus on tackling poverty and inequality, empowering citizens, promoting diversity and civic pride, and supporting and enabling all children and young people to thrive.
• A Safe Birmingham: through a focus on making the city safer, safeguarding vulnerable citizens, increasing affordable housing, and tackling homelessness.
• A Healthy Birmingham: through a focus on tackling health inequalities, encouraging physical activity and healthy living, supporting mental health, and improving outcomes for adults with disabilities and older people.
• A Green Birmingham: through a focus on street cleanliness, improving air quality, continuing the route to net zero, and becoming a city of nature.
We see the Council's role as providing strategic leadership - that's being able to visualise a new future for the city and equipping others to share our vision. We want to ensure the provision of services for all, so we can support those least able to support themselves by working with partners and putting citizens and neighbourhoods at the heart of our decision-making. We are always looking for people who put the customer at the centre of their approach, with a commitment to excellence to help us achieve our vision. We will support you to develop and thrive in your role, building a pathway for long-term success, with lots of development opportunities, such as apprenticeships.

In return, we offer you excellent terms and conditions, generous annual leave, a great pension scheme, well-being support, annual travel passes and discounts at a number of city centre establishments.