Every child deserves the chance to thrive in school. Our Attendance & Inclusion Team champions this mission‑ensuring children across Staffordshire can access a positive, consistent education. Now, we're looking for someone with passion and purpose to join us. As an Education Welfare Officer, you'll be on the frontline of supporting children, families, and schools. This is a peripatetic role, covering districts including Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle, and Stafford, giving you the opportunity to make an impact across varied communities. You'll work in partnership with schools, families, the community and the Local Authority – acting as a trusted advocate for children and a vital link between home and school. With a strong safeguarding focus, you'll identify barriers to attendance, offer practical solutions, and help fulfil statutory duties that keep children safe and engaged in learning.
Responsibilities
* Support statutory action on non‑attendance, including penalty notices, consultation meetings, and preparing cases for court under the Education Act 1996 and Children Act 1989.
* Contribute to key statutory duties around Elective Home Education, Children Missing Education, School Attendance Orders and Section 19.
* Hold targeted support meetings to help schools boost attendance and tackle persistent absence.
* Present at termly district meetings to share best practice with schools across Staffordshire.
* Play an active role in safeguarding – contributing to child protection and child in need plans, and working closely with Early Help partners.
* Manage duties relating to child entertainment and employment licences.
* Maintain accurate records and produce high‑quality assessments and reports.
* Grow your expertise in specialist areas of practice.
Qualifications
* Significant experience in education, welfare work, or direct support with children and families.
* A minimum NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent) in working with children and families.
* Confident understanding of education legislation, safeguarding and multi‑agency collaboration.
* Empathy and insight into challenges such as mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse or poverty, and how these impact attendance.
* Excellent organisation and communication skills to manage your own caseload and produce clear, accurate reports.
* The ability to work both independently under pressure and collaboratively as part of a team.
* A commitment to equality, inclusion, and children's wellbeing.
* Strong IT skills and confidence maintaining detailed professional records.
Interested and ready to make a real impact?
Benefits
The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead – that goes for your career too.
We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work‑life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits – Careers at Staffordshire.
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