Child Missing in Education Tracking Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Generous annual leave

Employee benefits and discounts

Local Government Pension Scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Health and wellbeing support

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a CME Tracking Officer to help locate missing children, understand their circumstances and ensure they receive the support they need to stay in education. Working with the Education Safeguarding Team, you will gather information from schools, families and partner agencies, connect the dots and advocate for the right outcomes safeguarding children.

The role demands curiosity, good judgement and resilience, and it forms a vital part of safeguarding within

Responsibilities

• Gather information from schools, families and partner agencies to establish a child’s circumstances and required support.
• Work with Education Safeguarding Team to keep children visible, safe and engaged in education.
• Navigate Children Missing Education processes and contribute to safeguarding priorities across the council.

Job description

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, thrive and feel safe. When a child disappears from education, understanding where they are and ensuring they receive the support they need becomes a matter of real importance. As a CME (Children Missing Education) Tracking Officer, you'll play a key role in helping us find answers for children whose educational journey has become unclear. Working as part of our Education Safeguarding Team, you'll combine investigative work, partnership building and problem solving to help ensure children remain visible, supported and engaged in education. This is a role for someone who enjoys finding answers where others find dead ends, building relationships that make a difference and ensuring that no child is overlooked. You'll use professional curiosity, sound judgement and strong partnerships to establish where children are and what support they need. While this role offers plenty of variety and challenge, it also carries significant responsibility. Children missing education can be vulnerable to a range of safeguarding risks, making your work a vital part of ensuring they are safe, supported and able to access the education they deserve. The work can be complex and demanding at times, but every case you resolve has the potential to improve a child's future and strengthen the safeguards around some of our most vulnerable children and young people. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.What will you be doing? You'll be at the centre of complex enquiries, using your initiative, professional judgement and relationship-building skills to establish where children are and what support they may need. You'll gather information from a range of sources, connect the dots and work collaboratively with schools, families and partner agencies to ensure children remain visible and supported. One day you could be speaking with education professionals to piece together a child's circumstances, while the next you may be working directly with families to understand barriers and help them access the right support. You'll need curiosity, persistence and the confidence to ask the right questions when information is unclear. You'll become a trusted source of advice and expertise, supporting schools and colleagues to navigate Children Missing Education processes and contributing to wider safeguarding priorities across the local authority. Above all, you'll be part of a team committed to ensuring every child is seen, heard and given the opportunity to succeed, regardless of how complex their situation may be., Most importantly, you'll understand that this role is about more than tracking records and gathering information. It's about ensuring children are safe, visible and able to access the education they deserve. You'll share our commitment to protecting and supporting children, bringing the determination, resilience and professional curiosity needed to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families across West Northamptonshire.

Naturally curious and solution focused, you'll be skilled at building relationships, gathering information and finding answers when situations aren't straightforward. You will enjoy working through complex problems and aren't satisfied with unanswered questions, using persistence and professional judgement to get to the heart of an issue. Whether your experience comes from education, safeguarding, attendance, family support, inclusion or a similar field, you'll understand the importance of balancing empathy with professionalism. You'll be confident engaging with families, schools and partner agencies, building positive relationships while handling sensitive situations with care and integrity. We're looking for someone who can think critically, work independently and remain calm when managing complex cases. You'll be comfortable navigating uncertainty, identifying risks, overcoming barriers and finding practical solutions that improve outcomes for children and young people.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people. Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

This is an opportunity to be part of a service that has a direct and meaningful impact on children's lives. You'll join a supportive and highly collaborative team where your ideas, expertise and professional development are valued. We are committed to creating an environment where people can thrive, grow and make a genuine difference to their communities. Alongside a rewarding career, we offer:

• Flexible and family friendly working arrangements
• Generous annual leave
• Employee benefits and discounts
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Learning and development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing support