Family Engagement & Advocacy Practitioner (Family Support) - Dysart School

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are seeking a Family Engagement & Advocacy Practitioner to join our team.

The role aims to:

• build and strengthen relationships between home and school, reducing some of the pressures and stressors for parents and carers, knowing that this in turn positively impacts the pupils’ wellbeing, engagement and quality of life.

• To ensure a smooth and welcoming transition into Dysart School, and again, out of Dysart when students move on from the school onto possible college placements.

• To work with external agencies surrounding the pupils to promote inclusive, joined up working.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advocate for parents in meetings and support preparation and follow-up.

• Support inclusive communication and access to information through relational drop-ins: supporting and reassuring, offering guidance, and signposting families to appropriate services.

• Recognise safeguarding concerns and escalate appropriately.

• Assisting the SLT and class team in welcoming new families to the school through open mornings and transition meetings, ensuring a smooth transition into Dysart School.

• Class visits, including lunch duties, to see students within their learning environments to inform conversations with families and further understand and experience the school environment.

Key Requirements:

Essential Experience/Knowledge

• GCSE grade 9–4 (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics

• Commitment to working alongside families with dignity and respect, understanding that reducing family stress supports positive outcomes for pupils

• Proven experience working effectively with children and young people

• Understanding of safeguarding, equal opportunities and relevant legislation, aligned with PBS values of dignity and respect

• Awareness of barriers families may face in accessing school activities

Essential Skills and abilities

• Confident supporting groups, events or workshops

• Ability to organise own work, manage time effectively and work with appropriate guidance

• Confidence contributing specialist insight to multidisciplinary meetings, reviews and planning

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with families and professionals with the ability to manage sensitive or complex conversations

OHCAT is an exciting, forward-thinking organisation, and we offer many benefits to attract and keep our staff, contributing towards maintaining and improving wellbeing, and encouraging our required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. Below is just a selection of the benefits available to our employees:

What the school offers its staff

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.

• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)

• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme,MyGymDiscounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme

• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)

• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.