Virtual School Post 18 Advisor

Birmingham City Council; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham City Council’s Virtual School is seeking a Post 18 Advisor to support care-experienced young people as they plan for higher education, employment and training. You will work with Personal Advisors, HE providers and other professionals to create personalised transition plans and ensure high-quality advocacy and guidance.

The role involves coordinating information sharing, representing care leavers at panels, and maintaining accurate case records.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable post-18 students, including SEND or care-leaving contexts.
• Experience with higher education settings, SEND services or care-leaving services.
• Experience of preparing care leavers for adulthood.
• Experience advising post-18 students on career pathways, HE, employment and training.
• Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to interpret complex reports and data.
• Ability to lead and motivate teams to meet deadlines.
• Ability to engage with young people and build relationships.
• Knowledge of attachment difficulties and trauma-informed practice.
• Understanding of care leavers legislation and policy updates.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality educational advocacy, advice and support for care leavers post-18.
• Help develop coordinated transition plans and pathways into higher education, employment and training.
• Represent care leavers at panels, forums and multi-agency meetings.
• Coordinate the Virtual School’s central support for care leavers.
• Facilitate information sharing between agencies and professionals.
• Oversee the quality and accuracy of case records and reports.

Skills

Care-experienced students

Higher education liaison

Post-18 career guidance

Data interpretation

Recording accuracy

Interpersonal skills

Programme coordination

Panel representation

Trauma-informed practice

Legislation knowledge

Job description

Virtual School Post 18 Advisor

Permanent

Grade C £36,581- £45,529

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity review

Working 36.5 hours per week

Are you passionate about supporting care-experienced young people to achieve their goals and successfully transition into adulthood? Birmingham City Council’s Birmingham Virtual School is looking for a Virtual School Post 18 Advisor to support care leavers as they progress into higher education, employment and training.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the lives and future opportunities of Birmingham’s care leavers. As a Virtual School Post 18 Advisor, you will provide high-quality educational advocacy, advice and support to young people as they navigate their post-18 options. You will help ensure each young person receives support that reflects their individual needs, aspirations and circumstances. Working closely with Personal Advisors, higher education providers, employers and other professionals, you will contribute to coordinated transition plans and help create pathways into higher education, employment and training. You will also represent care leavers at relevant panels, forums, working groups and multi-agency meetings, as well as helping coordinate the Virtual School’s central support offer for care leavers. The role will involve facilitating effective information sharing between agencies and professionals, while overseeing the quality and accuracy of case records and reports.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience of working with vulnerable post-18 students, including those with special educational needs or disabilities.
• Experience of working directly with higher education settings, SEND services or care-leaving services.
• Experience of preparing care leavers for adulthood.
• Experience of advising post-18 students on career pathways, higher education, employment and training.
• Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to understand and interpret complex written reports and data.
• The ability to lead and motivate others to achieve goals and deadlines.
• The ability to engage, communicate and build positive relationships with young people.
• Experience of quality assuring and maintaining accurate, accessible and up-to-date case management records.
• Knowledge of attachment difficulties and/or trauma-informed practice.
• An understanding of key legislation, policies and procedures relating to care leavers.
• Up-to-date knowledge of developments in post-18 education policy and practice.

If you are passionate about improving opportunities for care-experienced young people and helping them build successful futures, we would love to hear from you.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people. We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken. Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Birmingham City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our citizens and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. You can view our Corporate Safeguarding Policy| Birmingham City Council here. Job Description and Person Specification Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.