Senior Inclusion Officer

This full-time, permanent position has a starting salary of £34,356 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

This role offers hybrid working which includes some time working from home, visiting the families we support and working in the office.

We are excited to tell you about some great opportunities within our fantastic Inclusion service for five new members of staff to join us as Senior Inclusion Officers specialising in Elective Home Education. We're looking for people with drive, great communication skills and initiative to help us in our mission to ensure that no-one is left behind.

This is a challenging, but genuinely rewarding area of work where you will have a direct impact on the educational outcomes of Surrey's children and young people.

There are roles available in the following locations:

Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking, GU22 7QQ covering North West and South West Surrey
Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Woodhatch, Reigate, RH2 8EF covering South East Surrey
Dakota, 11 De Havilland Drive, Weybridge, KT13 0YP covering North East Surrey
Rewards and benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the team

There are four small, friendly and diverse Inclusion teams across the county and you'll be able to select your preferred location as part of your application. The teams are made up of colleagues with varied employment history including teachers, police officers, youth workers, social workers and mental health roles. The Elective Home Education Inclusion Officers work not only as part of the Inclusion Service but also work as a cohesive, county wide team.

We offer a thorough induction which includes a dedicated mentor to help you along the way. All Officers have a supervisor and a line manager, so there is always lots of support and guidance on hand. Our teams are cohesive and provide ongoing peer support. There are lots of opportunities to develop in the role with ongoing training and CPD opportunities in specific areas of interest. Additionally, there are often opportunities to progress within the service to more senior positions.

About the role

In this role, you will be responsible for liaising between home, schools and other agencies, in order to fulfil the Local Authorities duties around Home Education and to improve the outcomes for Electively Home Educated children.

Working as part of the Inclusion Service you will support parents to fulfil their legal responsibility of ensuring that their child is in receipt of an education in line with their age, aptitude and ability. This will involve liaising with schools, parents and other relevant professionals to ensure parents are aware of their rights and responsibilities as home educators. Working closely with Electively Home Educated families and other relevant professionals, as well as the Inclusion Service, your role will be to support families in the community and signpost to other services and required.

You will need an understanding of the statutory nature of Elective Home Education and be responsible for producing reports, providing data, recording visits and referring to other agencies. You will also advise schools and the Inclusion Service on best practice regarding Elective Home Education.

Shortlisting criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Knowledge of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 Education Act 1996, Children Act 1989 & 2004, and all recent legislation in respect of education safeguarding, children missing education, and working together to keep children safe
• Significant experience of working with parents, children and families and in a multi-agency setting
• Significant experience of preparation and maintenance of records
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, as you will need to be comfortable and confident communicating with parents, children and other professionals
• Ability to cope with confrontational and challenging situations
• Ability to apply and maintain a high level of judgement and decision making in challenging or complex situations
• Please note, you must be willing and able to travel extensively around the county to meet the demands of the role

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 12th May 2024 with interviews planned for 22nd and 23rd May 2024.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.