Job Title: Children with Social Worker (CwSW) Education Officer
Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 37.0
Location: Hertfordshire
Hybrid working – the successful candidate will attend meetings in Apsley or Farnham when required.
Contract Type: Fixed Term – 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Directorate: Childrens Services
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced support officer to join the Hertfordshire Virtual School in the Extended Duty Team for Children with a Social Worker (CwSW). We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and organised person, who can match the pace of our busy office and busy (virtual) school environment. You will join a friendly, dedicated, and inclusive team.
The Hertfordshire Virtual School has an Extended Duty to promote the educational progress for children known to a social worker (CwSW) who are supported by a Child in Need (CiN) and Child Protection Plan (CP).
The post holder will work directly with the Senior Strategic Lead within the Virtual School and provide daily support across a range of tasks such as attending meetings, creating and updating action plans and trackers, minute taking, report writing and liaising directly with Designated Safeguarding Leads, teachers, SENDCOs and Social Workers across Hertfordshire. The post holder will also be required to work within the Making SEND Everyone’s Business (MSEB) strategy.
The post holder will also be required to support with the daily running of our Education Hub inbox which will require the ability to deal with enquiries and communications sensitivity and confidentiality.
The role will involve compiling and presenting data to support the Senior Strategic Lead with prioritisation and task force deployment. There will be an opportunity for the post holder to provide a variety of support activities to the Virtual School team such as booking meetings, monitoring, and tracking, booking of events, and creating new reporting templates and report writing.
This post will offer a scope of variety where you will be able to support all members of the Virtual School Team to deliver an excellent service to children, social care, families, and education settings from Early Years through to Post 16 as well as the SEND team.
You will be working in a fast-paced stimulating environment that would draw on and build your organisational skills and your ability to prioritise workloads in a relatively fast paced changing environment.
Your previous experience working in a collaborative team is essential as the Extended Duty Team collaborate towards a shared vision and quality standards.
Essential:
- Knowledge of working in a school environment or with previous knowledge of Education and/or Children’s Services.
- Has a good work ethic, excellent administrative and organisational skills.
- Is a team player with a solution focused approach.
- Has excellent customer service and communication skills.
- Has a desire to learn new skills and take on challenges.
- Can work under pressure, with competing deadlines, whilst maintaining attention to detail.
- Is competent and confident using Microsoft Office programs especially Excel.
- Is curious and keen to learn.
- Has English GCSE qualification with at least Grade C.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of working in a SEND environment or with previous knowledge of SEN.
- Knowledge of working in a social care environment or with previous knowledge of social care and safeguarding.
- Safeguarding experience e.g. Designated Safeguarding Lead.
- Experience of data analysis and handling.
If you are resilient and confident about your strong organisational and service delivery skills to support The Virtual School deliver the Extended Duty, please do get in touch!
We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.
This job role is within the Community Services, level COM10 job profile. Please locate this via:
Job profiles – Community services
To hear more about this opportunity please contact Katie Southall (Katie.Southall@hertfordshire.gov.uk)
Interview Date: 25th November 2025
As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Secondment
This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and would like to be considered as a Secondment contract, please ensure you complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only.
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.
English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.
