Education welfare officer
Education welfare officers make sure that children attend school and get the support they need.
Also known as: School welfare officer, school attendance officer
- Starter salary£24,000 a year
- Experienced£32,000 a year
- Typical hours36 to 38 a week
What you'll do
As an education welfare officer, you'll:
- work closely with school staff to identify and fix attendance problems
- meet parents and pupils at school or home to explain how you can help them
- attend magistrates' court when required
- arrange education for pupils who are excluded
- handle sensitive personal information correctly and update records
Working environment
You could work at a school or from home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- knowledge of psychology
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to understand people's reactions
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a education welfare officer
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
University
You could do a degree in:
- social work
- youthwork
- psychology
- education
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could take a college course before applying for a trainee position. Courses include:
- Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice
- Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could start by doing an Early Intervention Practitioner Level 4 or Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship.
You'll normally have to be working with children or young people to apply for these.
They take between 18 and 24 months to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Work
You may be able to work as an assistant welfare officer with a local authority and do training on the job to qualify. For this you'll usually need:
- experience working with children or young people
- GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent
Volunteering
You can get experience of working with children, families and young people, which may help when you apply for jobs. Examples include volunteering in schools, mentoring and youth work.
You can look for opportunities through organisations like:
- Volunteering Matters
- Do IT
- The NCVO
Direct application
You can apply directly to become an education welfare officer if you've got relevant experience and qualifications.
Employers usually look for people who have a background in:
- social work
- teaching
- counselling
- youth and community work
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
- have a full driving licence
Career path and progression
With experience and training you could become a team leader, senior education welfare officer or a head of service.
You could also train for a career in social services, the probation service, youth work or pastoral care.
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleCounsellor
- Job roleLearning mentor
- Job roleSecondary school teacher
- Job roleSocial worker
- Job rolePastoral care worker
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0