Kinship Zone - Virtual School Inclusion Officer
Job description
North East Lincolnshire is proud to be one of a small number of local authorities nationally, to be selected to pilot a Kinship Zone through to September. This pilot forms part of the wider Kinship Care Strategy and aims to strengthen support for families, including kinship and improve stability for children by testing new approaches to financial and practical support.
We're looking for two full timeVirtual School Inclusion Officers to join us on a full time(term time only), fixed term (3.5 years) basis.
About the Kinship Zone
The Kinship Zone is a pilot to test out a new way of working that provides earlier, more consistent and more coordinated support for families and kinship carers. It focuses on ensuring that families have access to the right help at the right time, including:
1. Clear advice and guidance about rights, allowances and available support.
2. Better coordination between Early Help, Social Care, and partner agencies.
3. Access to funding to strengthen Family Network Support Packages where this is needed to maintain a safe and stable home.
4. A new financial allowance pilot for eligible kinship carers.
If you have high aspirations, believe wholeheartedly that every child can achieve, and committed to relational, strengths‑based and inclusive practice within a framework of Love and Belonging - we would love to hear from you.
You could be the next person to join our Virtual School team, playing a key role in delivering the education strand of the Kinship Zone Pilot and helping to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families.
The Role
The successful post holders will be supported by the Head of the Virtual School and the Deputy Head for Extended Duties to work in collabortaion with other Children’s Services teams and departments to identify and deliver coordinated advice, guidance and support around education to families open to children’s social care including kinship carers who hold a Special Guardianship Order or, Child Arrangement Order (CAO).
As with all children supported by the Virtual School, you will be required to advocate strongly for full time educational provision that truly meets their individual needs, and support carers and social workers to provide appropriate challenge to schools and colleges if necessary. You will also support partners to understand how trauma can impact on learning and encourage all to maintain high ambitions for academic and emotional wellbeing success whilst implementing strategies to overcome barriers.
Working arrangements
This is a blended role. You could be visiting children and families in their homes, meeting in education settings; working with colleagues in local authority offices and buildings, and some home-based working.
About You
You will be confident, organised and experienced in working alongside children and their families in schools and/or colleges. You will be a confident communicator, relational, organised and efficient. Knowledge and practical experience of special educational needs and safeguarding practices will be highly regarded.
Your Application
Applicants are advised to carefully read the information provided in the Role Profile and Person Specification.
Informal discussions are strongly encouraged. In the first instance please contact
Michelle McMahon – Head of the Virtual School
or
Jodi Parkin - Deputy Head of the Virtual School: Extended Duties
Key DatesClosing date : 24th May
Interview date: W/C 08 June
We want you to have the best interview experience with us, so will provide candidates selected for interview their questions 24 hours in advance of meeting us.Start date: In line with our ‘Day One: NEL Induction Process’, we would like to aim to have the successful candidate in post by 7 September – or sooner if available.
(However, this may be subject to change and will of course be dependent on your notice period and relevant pre-employment clearances being completed)
As part of your RewardNEL package, you will have a generous leave entitlement (including bank holidays) and enrolment into a local government pension.
You will also have access to our exclusiveRewardNEL platform.