Education Engagement Practitioner WCC

Job Details

Salary range: £42,912 - £52,269 per annum. Salary negotiable depending upon experience
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QP

Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Temporary up to 24 months
Vetting requirements: DBS Enhanced Check
Closing date: 30 June 2026
Interview date: 9 July 2026

Children’s Services at Westminster City Council focus on empowering families.

As a Secondary Education Engagement Practitioner, you will work closely with schools to support attendance and inclusion, ensuring vulnerable pupils and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are supported to improve attendance. You will identify children and families at risk, manage a caseload of families with complex needs, and coordinate support plans. Working directly with children, young people and families, you will take a systemic and trauma-informed approach, coordinate Team Around meetings, contribute to Family Plans and make referrals in consultation with families.

You will also support schools with universal services, help reduce demand on children’s services, and build confidence and capacity within education settings. Partnership working will be central, liaising with professionals and agencies to co-create reintegration plans and mediate access to local services. You will maintain knowledge of community resources, and keep up to date with legislation, policies and best practice in education, child protection and children’s services.

You will carry out safeguarding assessments, manage risk, and develop outcome‑focused plans for severely absent pupils. You will represent the service in forums, take part in training and carry out other duties as required by the Attendance Manager.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

Experience working directly with families of children with complex needs, threshold management, and ensuring suitable support. Experience in an educational context, working with school leaders, understanding the pressures, procedures and challenges that schools face.

Confidence in leading as a key professional, building relationships with families, professionals and community partners. Understanding of child development, wellbeing, and issues affecting families in diverse inner‑city communities. Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection, school attendance, admissions, exclusions and system legislation.

Ability to work in strengths‑based, outcome‑focused ways, using evidence‑informed interventions such as restorative practice, motivational interviewing, parenting approaches, counselling or solution‑focused work.

Proficiency in assessment frameworks and tools to produce evidence‑based needs assessments and outcome‑focused support plans.

Experience with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring appropriate levels of support.

Independent work, professional initiative, decision making with low‑level support, and accountability for quality of work. Strong engagement, negotiation, brokerage, communication, judgement, and practical compassionate approach.

Care Leavers will automatically be invited to interview if they meet essential criteria, as the council supports Care Leavers into the workplace.

Westminster City Council is an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, aiming to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. Flexible working patterns and Agile working are available. The Council is a Disability Confident Employer; reasonable adjustments will be made for interviewees with declared disabilities.