Peer Educator

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a passionate Peer Educator with lived experience of raising a child or young person with SEND to support families across Essex. You will deliver webinars, workshops and information sessions, helping parents and carers build confidence and understanding of SEND.

Work with schools and partner organisations to support families, represent SPACE at events, develop training materials, and promote inclusion and accessibility.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of raising a child or young person with SEND.
• Strong passion for supporting families and improving SEND outcomes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Confident or willing to develop confidence delivering presentations and workshops.
• Empathetic, non-judgemental and approachable manner.
• Good organisational skills and ability to work collaboratively.
• Basic digital skills and willingness to learn.
• Understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding, equality and inclusion.
• Commitment to developing knowledge of SEND services for families.

Responsibilities

• Deliver webinars, workshops and community outreach activities.
• Help parents and carers build confidence and understanding of SEND.
• Work with schools, partner organisations and colleagues to support families.
• Ensure parents and carers feel listened to, valued and informed.
• Share knowledge and lived experience to support families and improve SEND understanding.
• Represent SPACE at schools and community events.
• Develop and improve training materials and resources.
• Build positive relationships with families, schools and partners.
• Gather feedback to shape and improve the service.
• Promote inclusion, equality and accessibility in all aspects of the role.

Skills

Lived experience

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Empathy

Organisational skills

Digital literacy

Confidentiality & safeguarding

SEND knowledge

Job description

Peer Educator – SPACE (Supporting Parents and Carers in Essex)

At Essex County Council (ECC), we are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring families can access the right information, advice and support. SPACE helps parents and carers feel informed, supported and confident throughout their SEND journey. We are looking for a passionate Peer Educator with lived experience of raising a child or young person with SEND to support families across Essex. In this rewarding role, you will:

Key responsibilities

• Deliver webinars, workshops and community outreach activities.
• Help parents and carers build confidence and understanding of SEND.
• Work with schools, partner organisations and colleagues to support families.
• Ensure parents and carers feel listened to, valued and informed.
• Delivering webinars, workshops and information sessions for parents and carers.
• Sharing knowledge and lived experience to support families and improve understanding of SEND.
• Representing SPACE at schools and community events.
• Developing and improving training materials and resources.
• Building positive relationships with families, schools and partner organisations.
• Gathering feedback to help shape and improve the service.
• Promoting inclusion, equality and accessibility in all aspects of the role.

Required experience and personal attributes

• Lived experience of raising a child or young person with SEND.
• A passion for supporting families and improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Confidence, or a willingness to develop confidence, in delivering presentations and workshops.
• An empathetic, non-judgemental and approachable manner.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to work collaboratively.
• Basic digital skills and a willingness to learn.
• An understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding, equality and inclusion.
• A commitment to developing knowledge of SEND services and support available to families.

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our . Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.