Job Introduction
Child Missing Education / Elective Home Education Lead Officer
Directorate: People (Childrens, Adults, Public Health, Education and SEND)
Department: Education and SEND
Salary: Range 4 Level A (£32,378 per annum)
Job Status: Full Time Permanent
Hours: 37 per week
Location: Gun Wharf/Pembroke Court (whilst refurbishments at Gun Wharf are underway)
Working Style: Hybrid – Works part from Pembroke Court and part from home.
Subject to BPSS Checks: Yes
Closing Date: 11th October 2026
Make a difference to the lives of children and young people across Medway
Are you passionate about ensuring every child has access to a suitable education and the opportunity to thrive?
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Child Missing Education (CME) / Elective Home Education (EHE) Lead Officer to join our Inclusion / Attendance Team. This is a pivotal role that helps ensure children who are educated outside of school, or who may be missing education, remain visible, safe and able to access their educational entitlement.
As an CME/ EHE Lead Officer, you will take a lead role in coordinating Medway's approach to Elective Home Education and Children Missing Education (CME), working with schools, families and partner agencies to support positive outcomes for children and young people.
What you'll be doing
In this rewarding and varied role, you will:
- Lead on Medway's Elective Home Education and Children Missing Education processes.
- Undertake Education Provision Reviews (EPRs) to assess the suitability of home education provision.
- Work closely with schools, admissions, social care, health services, police and other partners to identify and support children who are out of education.
- Attend and contribute to safeguarding meetings, including Child Protection Conferences, Child in Need meetings and Strategy Discussions.
- Analyse and interpret data to identify trends, monitor performance and drive improvements.
- Produce statutory returns, management reports and responses to Freedom of Information requests.
- Deliver guidance, advice and training to schools and partner organisations.
- Build positive and constructive relationships with families, supporting engagement while ensuring statutory responsibilities are met.
About you
We are seeking someone with substantial experience of working with children, families and partner agencies within education, local authority, safeguarding or related services.
You will have:
- Experience managing complex CME and EHE casework.
- A strong understanding of legislation relating to Elective Home Education, Children Missing Education, safeguarding and school attendance.
- Excellent communication and partnership-working skills.
- Experience of multi-agency working and safeguarding processes.
- The ability to analyse data and produce clear reports and recommendations.
- Confidence working independently and managing competing priorities.
- A full driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes.
Most importantly, you'll be committed to improving outcomes for children and young people and ensuring vulnerable learners do not miss opportunities to access education.
The successful post holder will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.
If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting manager please call Emma Block- Head of Inclusion on 01634 333128.
What we can offer you
At Medway Council we value our employees and are committed to supporting them to thrive.
We offer:
- Flexible hybrid working, with an expectation of office attendance approximately three days per week.
- Generous annual leave entitlement.
- Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Ongoing professional development and training opportunities.
- Employee assistance and wellbeing support.
- A supportive and collaborative team environment.
- Opportunities to influence service development and make a meaningful impact across Medway.
Career Progression Frameworks (CPF) have been introduced for all roles at Medway Council. These frameworks provide a mechanism for employees to take ownership of their development within their post and be rewarded accordingly. This means that the salary you will be offered will be at level A unless, based on an assessment against the CPF criteria, you demonstrate that you are meeting the criteria of level B or C. There will be further opportunity once in post to progress from level A to B, and B to C.
When writing your application, it is important to ensure you identify your suitability against the requirements of the job profile, as this information will be used for shortlisting and may contribute to the CPF assessment. Your application may be rejected if the minimum required criteria is not met. Further information relating to the requirements for this role can be found in the CPF Guidance document attached.
The person specification of a job profile is split into three levels:
Level A details the essential criteria that all applicants must be able to demonstrate through their application and interview.
Level B details the developed competencies that an individual who is practised in this role would be able to demonstrate and will be a progression of knowledge, experience and skills from level A.
Level C requires the highest level of competence and applicants would need to fully meet and demonstrate all aspects of the job profile, including qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience.
The Inclusion Team are seeking to appoint a Child Missing Education / Elective Home Education Lead Officer. You can demonstrate knowledge, experience and skills to allow you to perform within this role. You will identify, through application, how you meet the elements detailed within the person specification, at either Level A, B or C. You will be supported to develop in your role through induction, probation and a supportive Performance Appraisal and Career Conversation. Through your induction you will be introduced to the Career Progression Framework (CPF), which will help you to identify your areas of strength and any development needs.
Our organisation:
Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula.
Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London.
We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more - everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively.
Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in.
Important Information-
Applicants must be able to demonstrate all criteria at level A which are essential for appointment to the role.
Medway Council is not able to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship, so candidates must already possess the right to work in the UK.
For further information, and for details of the benefits of working for Medway Council, please refer to the Medway Information Pack available as a download or to view online.
Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation/correspondence in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878.
Please note, we prioritise applications from current Medway Council redeployees. We will let you know if this post is to be filled by a redeployee as, in this instance, your application will unfortunately not be taken forward.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.
Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement
Medway Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age
Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support.
