About the role
As a Section 19 Officer, you'll work at the point where education, families and wider services come together. You'll play a key role in ensuring children and young people who cannot access school receive the support and educational provision they're entitled to, while helping schools, families and professionals navigate complex situations and remove barriers to learning.
This is a role that combines relationship building, professional curiosity and problem-solving. It requires someone who can see the bigger picture, bring people together around a shared plan and keep the needs of the child at the centre of every conversation.
The circumstances that lead a child away from education are rarely straightforward. Success often comes from understanding what sits behind the challenge, building trust with those involved and finding practical ways to move things forward. Through this work, you'll help children stay connected to education, access the right support and achieve positive outcomes for the future.
This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
What will you be doing?
You'll manage a varied caseload of children and young people who are unable to access education, working alongside families, schools and professionals to understand the barriers they are experiencing and identify the most appropriate support.
The role involves coordinating plans, reviewing provision and bringing partners together to find solutions that meet a child's individual circumstances. You'll work closely with education providers, health colleagues, social care and wider support services, ensuring that children's needs remain at the centre of decision-making while statutory responsibilities are met.
You'll lead conversations that encourage collaboration, offer advice and guidance, provide constructive challenge where needed, and help build shared ownership of plans. Alongside this, you'll monitor progress, maintain accurate records and ensure support remains responsive as circumstances change.
At its heart, this is a role about connecting people, understanding complexity and helping children and young people remain engaged with learning when they need support the most.
Why join us?
Alongside a rewarding career, you'll benefit from:
• Flexible, hybrid and family-friendly working arrangements that help you balance work and home life
• Generous annual leave entitlement, with the option to buy additional leave
• Enhanced maternity, adoption and family leave provisions
• Access to our car lease scheme, making it easier to find a vehicle that suits your lifestyle
• A competitive Local Government Pension Scheme to help you plan for the future
• A wide range of employee benefits, discounts and savings on everyday spending
• Learning, development and career progression opportunities to support your growth
• Health and wellbeing support, including resources to help you look after your physical and mental wellbeing
About you
We're looking for someone who understands the difference a good education can make to a child's life and is passionate about helping young people overcome barriers to learning.
You may have experience working in education, attendance, inclusion, SEND, family support, youth work, social care or another role where you've supported children and families through challenges. What's important is your ability to build positive relationships, understand different perspectives and work with others to find practical solutions.
You'll be comfortable talking to a wide range of people, from parents and carers to school leaders and professionals from other services. You'll know how to listen, ask the right questions and build trust, while also having the confidence to challenge when something isn't working for a child.
This role would suit someone who enjoys bringing people together, piecing together information and helping to move situations forward. You'll be organised, able to manage a varied workload and motivated by seeing the difference your work makes to children, young people and their families.
Our benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council
About us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. Hear from our Chief Executive, Martin Henry, about building a career at WNC.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.
Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Attached documents
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