Learning Mentor - Cared for Children
About us
At Cheshire East Council we are resident, and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.
For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.
We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.
We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too!
Join us on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care at Cheshire East Council
We’re on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care and we’d love for you to be part of it. Joining us means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that’s passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. Everything we do is about putting them first, helping them grow, thrive and reach their full potential so they can build brighter futures.
If this sounds like the kind of impact you want to make, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Come and join us in shaping positive change for our young people.
About the role:
Learning mentors for cared for children play a vital role in supporting children who are in the care of the local authority. Our learning mentors work directly with our cared for children after referral from either school or their virtual school advisor this can be either in the child's home, in school, or out in the community.
The work our learning mentors complete is wide and varied but may include therapeutic support (our learning mentors are all ELSA trained) and support with attendance, to advocacy on the child's behalf and transition work for those moving to a new school setting.
The role itself is diverse and although no two days will be the same, some roles and responsibilities include working directly with the pupils and their families to identify barriers to learning and establish a personal action plan and a pastoral support plan as appropriate. To establish and maintain supportive relationships with pupils and the local community with the clear aim of developing strategies which re-engage them within education in the wider sense. Work with colleagues to monitor and review the needs of identified pupils and review personal action plans and pastoral support plans, and report on a regular basis to the Head Teachers of the appropriate schools. Carry out baseline assessments/SDQs and support with in-year admissions on behalf of students and their families.
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you:
You will be personable, approachable, resilient, dedicated, and able to build positive relationships with young people who are potentially at a time of crisis.
You will be able to:
1. Manage a caseload of upwards of ten children and young people for support across the local authority
2. Be able to travel across Cheshire East and work in a variety of locations/situations
3. Support cared for children who may be struggling to access school
4. Be creative with developing resources to meet the needs of their young people
5. Write clear and useful reports reflecting on the work they have complete
6. Evaluate the impact of their sessions with our children and present these to a range of professionals