Education Welfare Officer

Staffordshire County Council; Acton Gate; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is recruiting an Education Welfare Officer to support children, families and schools. You will work with the Local Authority to assess needs and pursue statutory actions when other support has been exhausted, with a strong safeguarding focus to keep children safe and engaged in learning.

You will identify attendance barriers, offer practical solutions, attend district meetings, and maintain accurate records.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in education, welfare work, or direct support with children and families.
• Confident understanding of education legislation, safeguarding and multi-agency collaboration.
• Strong report writing and detailed record keeping.

Responsibilities

• Support statutory action to improve irregular attendance, including penalty notices and court prep.
• Contribute to duties around Elective Home Education, missing education and School Attendance Orders.
• Hold targeted support meetings to boost attendance and tackle persistent absence.
• Present at termly district meetings to share best practice with schools.
• Play an active safeguarding role, contributing to child protection plans and Early Help.
• Maintain accurate records and produce high-quality assessments and reports.
• Grow expertise in specialist areas of practice.

Skills

Empathy

Organisation

Communication skills

IT skills

Teamwork

Education

NVQ Level 3 in working with children and families

Job description

As an Education Welfare Officer, you'll be on the frontline of supporting children, families, and schools. You'll work in partnership with schools, families, the community and the Local Authority assessing for and proceeding with statutory action when all other routes of support have been exhausted. 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. 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.,

• Support statutory action to improve irregular attendance, including issuing penalty notices, facilitating 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.

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

• 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.

You will bring:

• 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.
• Previous experience of attendance preferred but not essential.

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. 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.