Family Support Officer

Family Support Officer

Cambian New Elizabethan School

Salary £29,500

40 hours per week?, 8.30am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday

Full time, term time only, permanent contract

Cambian New Elizabethan School is a day school for 45 students aged 7 - 19 that offers outstanding opportunities for boys and girls with a diagnosis of communication difficulties, autism spectrum conditions, complex needs and challenging behaviour.

Set in large, private grounds amid a campus of historic buildings in rural Hartlebury, Worcestershire, Cambian New Elizabethan School is a relaxing place of learning, where young people receive the specialist education and therapeutic approach they need.

Our pupils are taught in small class groups, with some requiring a 1:1 staff to pupil ratio.

Job Profile

We are looking for a Family Support Officer who will work closely with parents and carers to help overcome pupils' barriers to learning, whether inside or outside school. This will involve maintaining regular communication, putting interventions in place, and liaising with relevant staff and professionals to ensure parents and carers are consistently engaged in pupils' development and progress. You will be delegated designated safeguarding lead reporting to the DSL and will work with outside agencies and staff to ensure our children are safeguarded effectively.

The main focus of this role will be to:

• Act as a point of contact for the parents/carers of pupils receiving additional support and maintain regular communication with specific parents/carers and provide personalised support for families through issues as they arise; especially when there is a CIN/ CP plan in place.

• Work with relevant staff to identify and bring onboard pupils and parents/carers that would benefit from personalised support including Early Help and make referrals to MASH.

• Work in line with statutory safeguarding guidance (e.g. Keeping Children Safe in Education, Prevent), and our child protection and health and safety policies.

• Maintain accurate records of interventions and relevant meetings, facilitate the transfer of relevant pupil information inside and outside the school and complete relevant paperwork required by external agencies.

Candidate Profile

For new appointments, a selection panel will assess each of the points below against what you have written on the application form - so, as a job applicant, you should explain, by using examples from previous jobs, voluntary work or whilst you were in education, how you match these points.

The ideal Family Support Officer will have:

• Knowledge of safeguarding and family support in schools

• General knowledge of child development/education

• Up to date knowledge of current safeguarding practices and legislation including KCSIE

• Effective written and verbal communication skills

• Good IT skills

• Tailoring plans and interventions to individual pupils

• Knowledge of available support services in the local area

Qualifications

• No criminal record including convictions, cautions, reprimands, bindings over or warnings which may be relevant to the safety and welfare of the students or staff.
• Clean, current car driving license (where minibus driving required)

Experience

• Experience of working effectively as part of a team
• Experience of successful relevant learning support work is preferable but not essential
• Experience of relating positively to children/young people

We pride ourselves on being an Equal Opportunities Employer. And we are committed to safeguarding and protecting the young people and service users within our care. All candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and reference checks.

Cambian will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.