Specialist Caseworker – Education Liaison (Ref: ELSC-261)

Are you passionate about helping children and young people overcome barriers to education?

Do you have experience supporting young people affected by trauma, exploitation or exclusion to re-engage with learning and achieve positive outcomes?

If so, St Giles Trust is looking for an Education Liaison Specialist Caseworker to join our Violence, Exploitation and Safety Service (VESS), providing specialist education support to children and young people across London.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. 

Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About the service

The Violence, Exploitation and Safety Service (VESS) supports children and young people affected by, or at risk of, violence, exploitation and extra-familial harm.

Working alongside education providers, families, local authorities and safeguarding partners, the service helps children overcome barriers to education, improve safety and wellbeing, and access the support they need to achieve positive, sustainable futures.

About this key role

As an Education Liaison Specialist Caseworker, you will provide specialist education support to children and young people who are disengaged from learning or at risk of exclusion, many of whom have experienced trauma, exploitation or significant disadvantage.

You will manage a caseload of children and young people, delivering one-to-one interventions and group sessions within Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), Alternative Provision and community settings. 

Working collaboratively with families, schools and professionals, you will help children access safe, appropriate education pathways while ensuring their voice remains central to every stage of support.

You will also advocate for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), helping families navigate education systems and secure the support needed to improve attendance, engagement and long-term outcomes.

What we are looking for

• Experience supporting children and young people with complex needs, including those affected by trauma, violence, exploitation or disadvantage.
• Good understanding of SEND, school exclusion, attendance, reintegration and education transition processes.
• Experience working with children attending PRUs, Alternative Provision or specialist educational settings.
• Experience completing assessments, managing risk and developing outcome-focused support plans.
• Experience working collaboratively with schools, families, local authorities and multi-agency professionals.
• Knowledge of contextual safeguarding, extra-familial harm, exploitation and serious youth violence.
• Experience delivering engaging one-to-one interventions and groupwork with children and young people.
• Strong communication, advocacy, assessment and case management skills.
• Good written and IT skills, including maintaining accurate case records and reports.

An Enhanced DBS check, including a Children’s Barred List check, is required for this role.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, access to clinical supervision, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuro-expansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.