Fair Access Link Officer

Fair Access Link Officer

At Cheshire East we’re offering an opportunity for someone to help transform lives and to play a defining role in the next chapter for children and families in Cheshire East as we build something special, to last.

We have an exciting opportunity for a permanent full-time Fair Access Link Officer, based at Delamere House in Crewe. The role will be to work with children, parents, schools and other agencies in line with the School Admissions Code 2021 and Fair Access Protocol Guidance August 2021.

About the Role

This role will ensure that unplaced and vulnerable children and those having difficulty securing a school place in year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible through facilitating the effective working of the Cheshire East Fair Access Protocol. The FALO is also required to assist the Education Access Support Officer (EASO) to support bespoke online education provision for pupils who have been permanently excluded and do not have a full-time place at a registered alternative provision.

We are looking for a passionate and committed professional who believes in the power of relationships to create lasting change for children and families.

You will be motivated by working alongside families, schools, partners and professionals to help remove barriers to education and achieve positive outcomes for some of our most vulnerable children and young people. You will play a key role in ensuring pupils can access suitable education provision, supporting their engagement in learning and helping them to reach their full potential.

In this role you will:

• Have oversight and gatekeep all FAP referrals made by schools in line with the CE FAP protocol. Liaise with the Admissions team. Obtain all relevant information about the pupil from the previous school and parents, to present at the FAP panels. Set up primary FAP panels as and when required.
• Organise Fair Access Panels and FAP monitoring meetings for the forthcoming year. Work with the business support officer to ensure relevant correspondence is issued in a timely manner i.e. FAP agendas, referral information, updated ranking tables, decision letters to parents and meeting minutes.
• Create and maintain secure administrative processes to ensure sensitive and confidential pupil information is protected and Fair Access panel documents are stored securely in line with GDPR and data protection legislation.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date case records and lead on the development of effective recording and reporting processes to provide relevant data on FAP referrals to the EASO, FAP Panels, senior managers, the FAP Monitoring Groups and the annual report to the Office for School’s Adjudicator.
• Work with the EASO and FAP monitoring group to review and update the Fair Access Protocol annually.
• Liaise with online service providers to organise courses, enrol PEX students and monitor their use of online learning.
• Co-ordinate resources/admin e.g. Free school meal vouchers and the distribution of CE laptops to pupils when required.
• Action and inform EASO of any safeguarding issues flagged up by the online provider or whilst on home visits. Refer to Checs or other agencies if required.
• Liaise with the SEND team and Health colleagues when pupils are in the process of assessment.
• Escalate any concerns with EASO to obtain direction via regular informal and formal supervision.
• Conduct home visits to ensure the pupil is safe and well when no other education provision is in place other than online learning.

The successful candidate will bring

• Relevant Professional qualification e.g. DIPSW or Youth and Community Diploma or equivalent
• Post qualification experience of working in a relevant local authority setting. Working with young people and families.
• Underpinning knowledge of Fair access, exclusions, inclusive practice and reintegration: policies and professional practices.
• Knowledge of Fair access, exclusions, inclusive practice and reintegration: policies and professional practices.
• Understanding of data protection, freedom of information and confidentiality requirements, Education and 14 19 Skills legislation, policies, procedures, regulations and rules. Admission code and FAP Guidance 2021
• Ability to identify agencies to access according to customer need within the organisational structure.

In return we are able to offer:

• A competitive salary - Between £32,578 per annum - £35,570 per annum (CEC NJC – Grade 7) Pro-rata with guaranteed yearly pay increases.
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexi-time and hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There’s no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
• Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
• Off-Peak Racket Sports
• Athletics Tracks
• Sauna/Steam/Spa

Join us and experience a workplace that truly values and supports you!

How to apply

We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.

To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Anne Vaughan Griffith at Anne.Vaughan-Griffith@cheshireeast.gov.uk, they will be happy to hear from you! Please remember to include the job reference so we know which role you are interested in.

Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.

If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, and we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!

We wish you all the best in your application and if you run into any technical issues, our friendly team are here to help at: sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk.

Cheshire East Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults across the Borough. As such, any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings that are ‘not protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 (as amended in 2013) relating to the non-disclosure of spent convictions do not apply to this job. You must therefore, disclose whether you have any previous convictions where prompted to do so within the application process.

Attachments

• Fair Access Link Officer - Job Description and Specification.pdf