Description
Job Description & Person Specification >
Are you passionate about making a tangible difference to the lives of children that are cared for? Do you believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive academically and achieve their full potential? If so, we want to hear from you!
We are seeking a highly motivated and dedicated Inclusion and Achievement Support Officer to join our Virtual School team here in Torbay. This vital role will play a key part in championing the educational outcomes, emotional well-being, and overall achievement of our cared for children.
About the Role:
You will work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, including children and young people, foster carers, schools, social worker and other agencies. Your primary focus will be to ensure that cared for children and young people receive the targeted support and advocacy they need to access a full and enriching educational experience, overcome barriers to learning, and achieve their academic and personal goals.
Key Responsibilities will include:
* Championing the educational aspirations and achievements of our cared for children and young people.
* Working directly with children and young people to understand their educational needs, strengths and aspirations.
* Providing tailored advice and support to foster carers, social workers, on educational matters.
* Collaborating with schools to promote inclusive practices and ensure appropriate support plans are in place (e.g., Personal Education Plans – PEPs).
* Monitoring educational progress, attainment, identifying areas of concern including attendance, and implementing early interventions.
* Advocating for cared for children in their education settings and multi-agency meetings.
* Facilitating access to additional support, such as tutoring, specialist therapies, where needed.
* To be responsible for conducting assessments and delivering interventions, to include literacy, numeracy, social and behavioural interventions.
* Contributing to the development and delivery of training for carers, staff, and schools around educational needs; attachment and trauma informed education.
* Maintaining accurate records and contributing to report on educational outcomes.
This post meets the requirements for an Enhanced Criminal Record Check. This will show spent and unspent convictions and adult cautions which have not been filtered in line with legislation, plus any information held by local Police that is considered relevant to the role.
If you are viewing this advert on a job board, you can access the full job description by placing the below URL into your browser:
https://www.torbay.gov.uk/jobs/job-descriptions/inclusion-and-achievement-support-officer-2/
For an informal chat please contact Tracey Powell on 01803206232 or tracey.powell@torbay.gov.uk.
Interviews are expected to be conducted during the week commencing 01st September 2025.
Our adverts do sometimes close early - even where there's a published deadline - so if you're keen, please apply as soon as possible.
Skills
Essential:
* Able to communicate effectively with service users and professionals face to face and virtually, to ensure understanding, engagement and effective sharing and management of information.
* Able to make significant decisions on complex matters which impact on outcomes for children by obtaining and analysing relevant information, involving all relevant parties, drawing informed conclusions and making effective judgements based on outcomes and risk.
* Proven problem-solving skills including the ability to deal with emotional and challenging situations and bring about resolutions which meet the needs of all parties and deliver appropriate outcomes. The post holder whilst working with each educational establishment’s policies will need to ensure the cohort are not disadvantaged by a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Some of these matters are likely to be complex and contentious with parties involved all having a vested interest. The post holder will need to act as a ‘Champion’ of the young person but ensure a consistent, objective and best interest for all outcome is reached.
* Ability to deal sensitively with people, take a solution-focused approach and deal with conflict with good emotional resilience. This will include a creativity to each individual issue such as non-engagement in education. The post holder will need to have a high degree of creativity to have a solution focused approach based on the individual needs of the young person such as unmet attachment needs, anxiety or school refusal for example.
* Able to plan and deliver interventions in both literacy and numeracy to support end of Key Stage examinations/assessments.
This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
Knowledge
Essential:
* Detailed knowledge of the practice and procedure of securing good educational outcomes for cared for children/young people by narrowing the attainment gap between them and their peers not in the care system.
* Detailed knowledge and understanding of processes within Children’s Services regarding Cared For Children and the importance of the PEP process and its quality being captured within the statutory timescales for Care Plans.
* Excellent working knowledge of IT software including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Internet Explorer, sufficient to produce and maintain comprehensive records, documents and reports.
* An understanding of how Personal Education Plans are devised, recorded and monitored.
* An understanding of the needs of children within the care system and how this may impact on their education, training and employment.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential:
* Work in a school/educational environment (paid or unpaid) with children and young people.
* Experience of applying an evidenced informed practice approach.
* Experience of working in a fast paced, changing environment, and making robust evidenced informed decisions.
* Experience in working in a multi-agency setting.
* Evidence of having delivered improved outcomes and impact for young people.
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