Extended Duties Officer (Cared For Children)

Extended Duties Officer (Cared For Children)

About us

At Cheshire East Council we are resident, and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.

For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.

We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.

We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too!

Join us on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care at Cheshire East Council

We’re on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care and we’d love for you to be part of it. Joining us means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that’s passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. Everything we do is about putting them first, helping them grow, thrive and reach their full potential so they can build brighter futures.

If this sounds like the kind of impact you want to make, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Come and join us in shaping positive change for our young people.

About the role:

The Extended Duties Officer plays a key role in helping Cheshire East Virtual School deliver its expanded responsibilities for children with a social worker, previously looked after children, and children living in kinship care. Working alongside schools, social care colleagues, and wider partners, you will help ensure that children who may face additional barriers to education are visible, understood, and effectively supported. The role focuses on improving attendance, educational engagement, and outcomes through a combination of professional challenge, advice, advocacy, training, and system-wide partnership working.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape and embed Cheshire East's extended duties model across the local area. You will work closely with schools and multi-agency professionals to identify barriers, develop solutions, and promote evidence-informed practice. The role includes analysing attendance and attainment data, supporting the evaluation of interventions, contributing to strategic reporting, and helping to identify and share effective approaches that improve outcomes for children and young people.

No two days are the same. One day you may be delivering training to school staff and social care colleagues, and the next you could be analysing local trends, supporting professionals to navigate complex situations, or working with partners to develop sustainable approaches that improve educational engagement. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys combining strategic thinking with practical support and who is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable children.

This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting aspects of the role. To find out more about the full range of responsibilities, please refer to the attached job description.

About you:

You will be passionate about improving educational outcomes for vulnerable children and young people and will be able to build productive relationships with professionals across education, social care, and partner agencies. You will be confident in using data to inform practice, presenting information clearly, and providing both support and appropriate challenge to colleagues and organisations.

You will be able to:

• Work collaboratively across education, social care, and wider multi-agency partnerships.
• Analyse attendance, attainment, and progress data to identify trends and inform improvement activity.
• Deliver training, coaching, and advice to schools and professionals.
• Support the development of effective systems, processes, and evaluation tools.
• Challenge barriers to education and promote positive outcomes for children with a social worker, previously looked after children, and children in kinship care.
• Travel across Cheshire East and work flexibly with a range of partners and settings.

To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role, please view the attached job description and person specification.

What we offer in return:

• A competitive salary - Between £36,581 per annum - £40,444 per annum (CEC NJC – Grade 8) with guaranteed yearly pay increases!
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexitime and hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better!
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There’re no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
• Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
• Off-Peak Racket Sports
• Athletics Tracks
• Sauna/Steam/Spa

How to apply

We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect an