Post: Child Care Officer
Essential knowledge:
● A theoretical understanding of the origins of disturbed behaviour
● An understanding of how to manage children assertively without using dominance
Essential skills and abilities:
● The ability to understand and empathise with children.
● The ability to set appropriate boundaries for children
● A positive regard for children
● The ability to critically assess children’s progress and to communicate this through the writing of reports
● The ability to work as part of a team
● The ability to solve problems
● The ability to take on board new ideas
● A sense of humour
● A clean driving licence with business use
● The capacity to physically manage children
● The ability to communicate clearly with a variety of parents, professionals and agencies.
Essential experience:
● Working with or caring for children of primary school age.
Special conditions:
● Enhanced DBS Check
● Above-average exposure to pupils with traumatic conditions or who have complex and demanding behavioural problems will require the postholder to cope with above-average levels of emotional stress.
● Close contact with pupils may result in some exposure to bodily fluids.
● It may require Hepatitis B vaccination.
● Particularly in schools that have pupils with behavioural difficulties, postholders can be at risk of physical injury and need to remain vigilant and observe risk assessment protocols.
● A commitment to personal and professional development
● Members of staff must take part in the behavioural and physical intervention training that it is offered by the School
Main Responsibilities
This will involve:
● To work as required, with individual pupils on planned programmes of social, emotional and behavioural development.
● To be actively involved in the school's recreational and social programme and engage individuals and groups of pupils in a constructive, enterprising and socially extending range of leisure pursuits.
● Implementing an agreed pattern of sensitive but effective care and control to provide the children with a secure, safe, and stimulating environment conducive to physical, emotional, educational, and social development so that pupils enjoy a calm and relaxed group living experience.
● To be responsible for the safety of children by exercising adequate control and supervision, particularly in relation to lunch and break times and during the daytime as required.
● To maintain the orderliness of the children's living and recreational areas and clean such areas in emergencies.
● To perform any other tasks that the Headteacher or his appointed Deputy may reasonably require.
● To be responsible for the training and counselling of pupils in personal and social competence, including relationships, health, hygiene, domestic etiquette, dress and safety.
● To act as a 'keyworker' for a named group of children as prescribed in the School Development Plan.
● To escort pupils on visits to doctors, dentists, shopping trips, etc., as required.
● To administer any prescribed medication in accordance with directions of the school doctor or other authorised member of the school staff.
● To attend, as required, meetings about individual pupils and/or matters affecting the general running of the school.
● To observe, advise and produce written reports on pupils, as required.
● To keep individual pupil records, as required.
● To undertake such sleeping-in duties as may be determined by the needs of the school.
● To undertake driving duties as required.
● To respond to any emergency situation that arises, e.g. casualty visits, absconders.
Shifts between 7.30am - 21.00pm Monday to Friday
Whilst there are some pupils with EHCPs in mainstream schools, the environment in a special school or alternative provision is far more intense and continuously presents a variety of both mentally and physically challenging situations for staff at all levels
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.
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