Team: Access and Inclusion Service

Role: Ukrainian Refugee Support CME/EHE Officer

Job Family: Supporting CBG9
Salary: £30,516 to £33,182 per annum pro rata

Hours: 37 hours per week

Base Location: Working from home and any CBC offices, including Priory House, Shefford. You will be expected to attend a CBC office location on a monthly basis, and as needed to carry out your role
Contract Type: Fixed Term 12 Months
Closing Date: 15th January 2023
Interview Date: TBA

Start Date: March 2023

About Us

Central Bedfordshire is an ambitious authority, determined to be an exemplary one. Our strategic location and high quality of life mean we are one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

As a council we face the same challenges every business does - investing in the right places and delivering great results. Except for us, it’s all about our 289,000 residents. We’re totally focussed on helping to improve their lives and making Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work.

This is a great time to join us on our journey.

More about the role:

The role of Ukrainian Refugee Support CME/EHE Officer is to work alongside our Ukrainian children and families to ensure that they both have and are accessing an education provision. You will offer support and advice to children, families and linked professionals with the identification of suitable educational placements and with practical support in accessing these. You will monitor children’s engagement with remote education where this is taking place from their home school in Ukraine and ensure appropriate support is offered. You will be the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for professionals seeking support with the educational issues of Refugee/Asylum Seeker Children and work closely with Admission Authorities and other CBC staff in the identification of children who are not receiving a suitable education. You will track admission applications to ensure that a child is attending a school/receiving education provision within 15 days of application and refer to the Section 19 Commissioning Officer where appropriate. You will support the Access and Inclusion Manager with the referrals from schools under Section 3.10 of School Admission Code and engagement with schools and academies with the admission of pupils placed under the FAP Process.

Here in the Access and Inclusion Service, we want every child in Central Bedfordshire to enjoy their childhood and have the best start in life. We’re focused on ensuring that children within Central Bedfordshire receive a full and efficient education to help them achieve their potential. You’ll find your greatness as you play a key role in a team valued by both schools, parents and other services across the Local Authority.

Organised, reliable and committed, you will work with schools, families and other professionals on a day-to-day basis to ensure that our Ukrainian children are being educated. It’s a chance to use your creativity to find solutions to barriers that mean a child may not have access to a suitable education. You’ll also have the chance to work as part of the wider team within Childrens Services.

A flexible and supportive team player, you’ll value a young person’s right to education. It’s likely you’ll bring experience of working within an education setting, working on a varied caseload families and a wide range of professionals. You will be working in an area guided by a legal framework. Comfortable in a busy and fast-paced environment, you will have the confidence and communication skills to provide appropriate support to families and other professionals where required. You will be fluent in the use of both English and Ukrainian.

Join our team, and you’ll enjoy a thorough induction process and the chance to access local and national training that supports your professional development. You’ll find your own greatness as you help children and young people to progress.

What we can offer you

As well as joining a friendly, dedicated, and hardworking team you will have access to numerous benefits, including:

• Hybrid working arrangements as appropriate. We recognise the importance of supporting our employees to balance their home and work life and to be able to work in the most efficient way. As a hybrid worker you will be able to work from home with access to any CBC location.
• A £250 one off hybrid worker payment, helping you achieve a safe and suitable work space at home
• Support to work from abroad for up to a month a year where appropriate
• Generous family friendly policies and practices
• A supportive and inclusive environment that values and celebrates differences
• Staff network and support groups
• Annual leave allowance 24 days + statutory holidays rising to 31 days with length of service.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This is a valuable part of our rewards package for employees and includes Life Assurance: click here
• An Employee Assistance Programme offering support to all employees through workplace changes as well as other work, family and personal issues
• Training and Learning offer – we have access to hundreds of courses and role specific training is also available
• Access to discounts from local and national retailers

Central Bedfordshire Council has its own vision and values that are integral to everything we do. Our area vision is to make Central Bedfordshire 'A great place to live and work’.

Our Aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We are happy to discuss location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies detailed within this Recruitment Pack

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Andrew Copperwheat at andrew.copperwheat@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or on 0300 300 6291.

For queries related to the recruitment of this vacancy, please contact: The Recruitment Team at recruitment@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

Safeguarding:

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.

Central Bedfordshire Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome enquiries from everyone and value diversity in the workplace. We are a Disability Confident employer, we are working to become a Disability Confident leader in our community.

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

If you require assistance to apply for our roles, help with writing your CV, interview techniques or careers advice please contact our team of careers advisors at ncs@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Our service is confidential, impartial and free for all.