Attendace & Welfare Advisor

Directorate: Children & Culture Directorate
Division: Education and Partnership
Section: Support For Learning Service
Team: Behaviour Support
Number of Posts: 2
Hours per week:  35

Benefits and Allowances

The postholder will be eligible to apply for an Annual Travel Allowance which is paid on a monthly basis subject to approval.

Role Purpose

The Attendance & Welfare Service (AWS) works in partnership with schools, other agencies, pupils and their families to raise achievement through improved attendance and reduced pupil persistent absence and to secure the wellbeing of the pupils. The AWS aims to lead in attendance expertise, disseminating good advice and developing innovative practice.

Key Responsibilities

Attendance & Welfare Advisors (AWAs) work with schools to advise and assist them in promoting, securing and maintaining high levels of pupil attendance and in reducing levels of pupil persistent absence.
 
In doing so they seek to assist in safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable children and support them in accessing and benefitting from the educational opportunities available to them.
 
This is undertaken working in partnership with school staff, parents/carers, other agencies and professionals and the pupils themselves and using the legal procedures available as required.

Requirements

We are looking for dynamic, creative and committed staff to contribute to improving the outcomes for children and young people in Tower Hamlets. Our AWAs are multi-skilled, offering policy and procedural advice, working in partnership with other professionals to support parents and pupils.

You will need good knowledge of the law and guidance related to attendance and persistent absence, the ability to exercise statutory authority and follow legal procedures and a professional qualification or similar level of expertise. Excellent interpersonal, numeracy, assessment and communication skills are essential.
 
You will need excellent inter-personal skills to work very closely with schools, to be prepared to show leadership on attendance, to participate in policy development and be accountable for allocated areas of action planning.

In the role of AWA you will require knowledge of and the ability to use and interpret statistics. There will be an exercise before the interview to assess ability to use and interpret attendance data.

Additional Information

In Tower Hamlets all professionals, including school staff, are expected to complete assessments using the Early Help Assessment (EHA). The EHA is an essential tool for the AWS. Staff must have excellent written skills and are required to undertake high quality assessments using the framework.
 
In addition, All Attendance& Welfare Advisors are required to serve warning notices in person and to present evidence in the Magistrates Court when parents are prosecuted. They may also have to take cases to the Family Proceedings Court.

Application Details

This post is open to the following types of applicants: Redeployees/ Internal/ External
 
If this role is available to Internal employees only, this will include agency workers but does not include independent contractors or Skills Match trainees
 
All applications should be made via our online application system, no CV’s or alternative forms of applications are accepted.
Internal employees should apply via the council's Intranet. External applicants apply via the Council's website www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/careers