Senior Section 19 Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Employee benefits and discounts

Generous annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Health and wellbeing support

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Senior Section 19 Officer to lead the Section 19 workstream, ensuring vulnerable children receive the education and support they need. You will provide leadership to officers, supporting complex casework and collaborating with schools, health professionals and social care to shape practice and drive service delivery.

Interviews will be held on 15 September. This role offers an opportunity to influence policy, improve outcomes for children and families,

Qualifications

• You may already be working within school attendance, education welfare, inclusion, safeguarding or a similar area and be looking for an opportunity to take the next step into a broader leadership role.
• You’ll be confident supporting others, comfortable making decisions in complex situations and able to build credibility with schools, families and partner agencies.
• You’ll understand the realities of working within statutory services and have a sound knowledge of attendance processes, education legislation and safeguarding responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop our Section 19 workstream, helping to ensure children and young people who are unable to access education receive the support and provision they need.
• Provide leadership and guidance to officers within the service, supporting them with complex casework, developing their practice and helping them achieve positive outcomes for children and families.
• Work closely with schools, health professionals, social care and other partners, helping navigate challenges, build effective relationships and ensure educational provision remains at the heart of planning and decision making.
• Play an important role in shaping practice across the service, providing professional expertise, supporting quality assurance and helping colleagues feel confident when managing complex situations.
• Contribute to service development, use data and insight to identify areas for improvement and help ensure we’re continually developing the way we support children, families and schools.
• No two days will be the same, but throughout it all you’ll be helping create opportunities for children and young people to access the education they’re entitled to.

Job description

This is a newly created role within the School Attendance Support Service and a fantastic opportunity for someone who is ready to take on a wider leadership role whilst staying connected to the work that matters most, improving outcomes for children and young people.

You’ll join a supportive and ambitious service at an exciting time, helping to shape how we deliver our Section 19 responsibilities and supporting colleagues across the team.

We’re looking for someone who enjoys working with people, building strong professional relationships and finding ways forward when situations are complex. You’ll be someone others naturally turn to for advice, support and guidance, and somebody who keeps children and families at the centre of everything they do.

This role would suit someone who is ready to broaden their impact, using their knowledge, experience and professional judgement to support colleagues, influence practice and help shape positive outcomes for vulnerable children and young people across West Northamptonshire.

Interviews will be held on September 15th.

Our Benefits

What will you be doing?

As Senior Section 19 Officer, you’ll lead and develop our Section 19 workstream, helping to ensure children and young people who are unable to access education receive the support and provision they need.

You’ll provide leadership and guidance to officers within the service, supporting them with complex casework, developing their practice and helping them achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

Working closely with schools, health professionals, social care and other partners, you’ll help navigate challenges, build effective relationships and ensure educational provision remains at the heart of planning and decision making.

You’ll play an important role in shaping practice across the service, providing professional expertise, supporting quality assurance and helping colleagues feel confident when managing complex situations.

Alongside supporting the team, you’ll contribute to service development, use data and insight to identify areas for improvement and help ensure we’re continually developing the way we support children, families and schools.

No two days will be the same, but throughout it all you’ll be helping create opportunities for children and young people to access the education they’re entitled to.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to join a service that is making a real difference to children, young people and families across West Northamptonshire.

You’ll be part of a supportive team that values collaboration, professional curiosity and continuous improvement. We know the work can be challenging at times, but it’s also incredibly rewarding, and you’ll be surrounded by colleagues who are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to influence practice, develop others and help shape an important area of service delivery.

We Also Offer

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

About you

You may already be working within school attendance, education welfare, inclusion, safeguarding or a similar area and be looking for an opportunity to take the next step into a broader leadership role.

You’ll be confident supporting others, comfortable making decisions in complex situations and able to build credibility with schools, families and partner agencies.

You’ll understand the realities of working within statutory services and have a sound knowledge of attendance processes, education legislation and safeguarding responsibilities.

We’re Particularly Interested In Hearing From People Who

• Have experience within a Local Authority School Attendance Service.
• Enjoy supporting, coaching and developing colleagues.
• Can build effective relationships and provide constructive challenge when needed.
• Are organised, resilient and able to balance competing priorities.
• Share our commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

About Us

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.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it’s like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

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.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.