Access Casework Officer

•    Permanent, full time position, 37 hours per week
•    Grade 11 - £30,296 - £33,945 per annum
•    Hybrid and flexible working pattern by agreement
•    30 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays)
•    A fantastic opportunity for you to bring your passion and energy to help us to support children and young people who have been excluded or are at risk of permanent exclusion from school

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

•    Working with schools, children and young people and their families to provide support and guidance when a child has been excluded from school or is at risk of being excluded
•    Conduct home visits to undertake an assessment of the educational requirements in accordance with statutory guidance and local policies 
•    Ensure children and young people receive suitable provision by day 6, following a permanent exclusion
•    Identify and monitor vulnerable children and young people at risk of fixed, children who are hard to place or those deemed as vulnerable.
•    Coordinate and attend regular multi-agency meetings including preparing agenda, presenting information and monitor outcomes

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

•    Are an experienced caseworker, able to manage a complex caseload and able to support children and young people to positively engage with education
•    Have experience of the education system and legislative frameworks
•    Have experience of working directly with children and young people and their families including undertaking home visits
•    Are organised and able to respond to situations as they arise
•    Are able to build positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve. 

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

The salary for the role is Grade 11, ranging from £31,586 to £35,235 per annum

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Gemma Reeves, Preventing Exclusions Service Manager – Gemma.Reeves@somerset.gov.uk

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

This job requires a criminal background check (DBS) via the disclosure procedure.