Inclusion Officer

Job Introduction

Role Purpose

Inclusion Officers work collaboratively with schools to support the development of inclusive practice, which reduces persistent absence and the need to use disciplinary sanctions that result in a children and young people missing out on education or being placed in alternative provision.  They will identify children that are: persistently absent from school, missing out on education (because of illness, suspension, exclusion), those who have no school place or are not being offered a full-time suitable education, or whose elective home education is not suitable. For the children and young people identified they will work collaboratively with them, their family, schools and other agencies to ensure that they receive a suitable education either at school, in alternative provision or through being electively home educated.

Main Responsibilities

a.    To establish effective, professional relationships with schools providing information, guidance support to develop good practice which ensures that, wherever possible, all pupils attend school regularly and receive a full-time suitable education.
b.    To identify children who are persistently absent from school or are not receiving a suitable education, including assessing the suitability of elective home education. 
c.    To advise. and when appropriate, challenge schools, parents or carers, professionals and other agencies when specific children and young people are not attending their education setting regularly or not receiving a suitable, full-time education.
d.    To advise schools and parents/carers on the development and implementation of plans to meet the needs of specific children and young people to ensure they receive a suitable education either at school or through elective home education, including supporting referrals to alternative provision and other agencies where appropriate.
e.    To ensure children and young people’s voices are heard and they have the opportunity to give their opinions on their situation, future educational provision and any plans made to support their attendance.
f.    To monitor the effectiveness of any plans which have been implemented to ensure that specific children and young people attend school regularly and receive a suitable education 
g.    To ensure that children and young people that are not on a school roll are located and action taken to secure them a school place and ensure their attendance. 
h.    To support the administration of legal and other measures that may be necessary to ensure parents fulfil their responsibility to ensure their children access an appropriate education. education.

The Ideal Candidate

i.    3 A levels /NVQ, HND or diploma or above in a related field or equivalent in experience 

j.    Experience of working collaboratively with and providing advice and guidance to school staff in relation to pupil behaviour and attendance

k.    Experience of effectively working in a collaboratively with a range of professionals and agencies to improve outcomes for children and young people.

l.    Experience of working directly with parents, carers, children and young people.

m.    Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to understand complex information and communicate its content to a wide range of individuals.

n.    The ability to analyse and understand data

o.    An excellent team player who contributes to and celebrates the success of the whole team, encourages and listens to new ideas and is positive about change.

p.    Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills that enable the quick development of positive working relationships with professionals, parents/carers and children, including the ability to be able to challenge in a constructive, non-confrontational and positive way when necessary.

q.    A positive, solution focused and creative approach to problem solving

r.    Excellent planning and organisational skills, the ability to set priorities with their own work and work effectively and flexibly as part of a team in order to meet service need 

s.    The ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion 

t.    A high level of professional curiosity that enables the identification of issues and risks that require further investigation and action 

u.    The ability to cope with pressure and to manage conflicting priorities effectively and the personal resilience and a tenacity to ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved for children and young people

For informal discussions about the post please email Rachel Anderson (Rachel.anderson@bcpcouncil.gov.uk) to arrange a time to speak on the phone or via Microsoft Teams.

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people.  Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline.  We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services.  By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.

Our Benefits

We offer an excellent benefits package for further details see here

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which is to be applicable for all employees. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We have been in a process of collective bargaining since 2019 and have positively worked forward to reach an agreed position with the unions for the new contractual offer. This has taken longer than we hoped and therefore we are having to consider all alternative avenues available to enable us to remove inequality in the organisation as a result of bringing together 3 councils. 

We are in the process of establishing a timescale for implementation, and all colleagues joining us will be included in these changes. We want to reassure everyone that whichever route is taken to reach the new terms and conditions, we can honour continuous service and there will not be any job reduction as a result of the implementation of Pay and Reward.  If you have any questions at all about this process, please feel free to raise this with the hiring manager.

DBS

BCP Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the community and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment.  Applicants to this post will be required to complete the appropriate level of Disclosure & Barring Service Check. Please refer to the Job Description or Role Profile for more details.