Location: Southwark
Contract: Initial 3-Month Contract
Hours: Full-Time, 36 hours per week
Rate: £30 per hour (umbrella) – (£22 PAYE an hour)
About the Role:
Southwark Council is seeking a dedicated and experienced Senior Education Welfare Officer to join our specialist Education Inclusion team within the Family Early Help service. This is a key role contributing to Southwark’s Fairer Future promises, supporting the inclusion, attendance, and welfare of children and young people across the borough.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support school attendance and inclusion for children of compulsory school age.
- Work with families, schools, and professionals to prevent exclusions and promote full-time education.
- Deliver Southwark’s statutory duties on attendance, including enforcement actions where necessary.
- Assess and intervene early with children at risk of exclusion using a Team Around the Family approach.
- Lead on education legal planning and represent the Council in court when required.
- Help identify and reintegrate children missing education in line with the borough’s protocol.
- Provide expert guidance to schools and Family Early Help practitioners on attendance and legal thresholds.
- Proven experience in an Education Welfare or similar statutory role within children’s services.
- In-depth knowledge of education law and local authority responsibilities around attendance and exclusion.
- Strong assessment, case planning, and multi-agency working skills.
- Confident in leading enforcement actions and legal proceedings.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities with schools, families, and professional networks.
