Child Missing in Education Tracking Officer

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, thrive and feel safe. When a child disappears from education, understanding where they are and ensuring they receive the support they need becomes a matter of real importance. As a CME (Children Missing Education) Tracking Officer, you'll play a key role in helping us find answers for children whose educational journey has become unclear.

Working as part of our Education Safeguarding Team, you'll combine investigative work, partnership building and problem solving to help ensure children remain visible, supported and engaged in education. This is a role for someone who enjoys finding answers where others find dead ends, building relationships that make a difference and ensuring that no child is overlooked. You'll use professional curiosity, sound judgement and strong partnerships to establish where children are and what support they need.

While this role offers plenty of variety and challenge, it also carries significant responsibility. Children missing education can be vulnerable to a range of safeguarding risks, making your work a vital part of ensuring they are safe, supported and able to access the education they deserve. The work can be complex and demanding at times, but every case you resolve has the potential to improve a child's future and strengthen the safeguards around some of our most vulnerable children and young people.

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 be at the centre of complex enquiries, using your initiative, professional judgement and relationship-building skills to establish where children are and what support they may need. You'll gather information from a range of sources, connect the dots and work collaboratively with schools, families and partner agencies to ensure children remain visible and supported. One day you could be speaking with education professionals to piece together a child's circumstances, while the next you may be working directly with families to understand barriers and help them access the right support.

You'll need curiosity, persistence and the confidence to ask the right questions when information is unclear. You'll become a trusted source of advice and expertise, supporting schools and colleagues to navigate Children Missing Education processes and contributing to wider safeguarding priorities across the local authority. Above all, you'll be part of a team committed to ensuring every child is seen, heard and given the opportunity to succeed, regardless of how complex their situation may be.,

Most importantly, you'll understand that this role is about more than tracking records and gathering information. It's about ensuring children are safe, visible and able to access the education they deserve. You'll share our commitment to protecting and supporting children, bringing the determination, resilience and professional curiosity needed to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families across West Northamptonshire.

Naturally curious and solution focused, you'll be skilled at building relationships, gathering information and finding answers when situations aren't straightforward. You will enjoy working through complex problems and aren't satisfied with unanswered questions, using persistence and professional judgement to get to the heart of an issue. Whether your experience comes from education, safeguarding, attendance, family support, inclusion or a similar field, you'll understand the importance of balancing empathy with professionalism.

You'll be confident engaging with families, schools and partner agencies, building positive relationships while handling sensitive situations with care and integrity. We're looking for someone who can think critically, work independently and remain calm when managing complex cases. You'll be comfortable navigating uncertainty, identifying risks, overcoming barriers and finding practical solutions that improve outcomes for children and young people.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working,…