Welfare Officer

Based at The Ravensbourne School and Orion Eden Park. Orion Education is a values-led organisation, driven by a determination to create welcoming and open schools for the local community, where every person thrives, makes excellent progress, and succeeds. We are committed to improving outcomes and transforming lives, realising social mobility, and the transformative power of education. We value the difference in all of our schools while seeking to bring them together around a framework that delivers an enriching experience and a great education for the young people within our care.  We want the very best for all of our young people. Our plan to ensure that we deliver great schools is underpinned by our shared values of trust, kindness, and endeavour. Our schools and our staff are collaborative and we seek to create consistency and quality throughout.   Our leaders create improvement in schools that is robust and sustainable. We are as enthusiastic about developing and nurturing our staff, as we are about developing our young people. Our professional development programs and our approach to school improvement provide quality and rigor while creating a depth of experience and learning for our staff.  About the role The Family Welfare Officer (FWO) plays a critical role in strengthening home-school relationships, improving attendance, and supporting families to overcome barriers to learning. The postholder will work proactively with students, parents, carers, and external agencies to promote good attendance, deliver early help, and support hard-to-reach families through targeted intervention and regular home visits. The FWO will also play a key role in safeguarding practice through early identification of needs, collaboration with pastoral and safeguarding teams, and ensuring children are supported to attend school regularly and safely. Key Responsibilities Attendance & Punctuality Monitor daily attendance and punctuality, identifying emerging concerns and patterns. Lead early intervention strategies to reduce persistent absence. Conduct first-day and follow-up home visits for pupils of concern. Work with families to develop attendance action plans. Provide weekly attendance analysis and updates to senior leaders. Support legal processes including penalty notices and court referrals when required. Family Engagement & Support Build trusting, supportive relationships with parents and carers, including those who are reluctant to engage. Offer guidance on routines, boundaries, behaviour, and home-school communication. Signpost families to appropriate local support services, including financial, housing, parenting and mental health support. Collaborate with external agencies to support families with complex needs. Facilitate meetings, workshops or drop-in sessions to strengthen parental involvement in the school community. Home Visits Conduct proactive and responsive home visits to address welfare, attendance, and safeguarding concerns. Complete detailed, accurate visit records and report concerns promptly. Assess home circumstances and barriers to attendance, escalating concerns appropriately. Provide practical support and guidance to help families improve routines and remove obstacles to school attendance. Safeguarding & Welfare Work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead and pastoral teams. Contribute to Early Help assessments and multi-agency plans. Attend safeguarding meetings, TAC/TAF, CIN, CP conferences when needed. Escalate concerns promptly and in line with school and Trust safeguarding policies. Maintain confidential and accurate safeguarding and welfare records. Admissions Support (Eden Park High School) Support the coordination of admissions and in-year transfers. Liaise with new families to ensure smooth transition and early engagement. Conduct initial home visits for vulnerable new starters if appropriate. Ensure strong data collection and communication with families during the admissions process. Orion Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Orion Education is fully committed to equality and to valuing diversity as an employer and a provider of education.