Support Officer - Intercultural Education Service (IES) - 2 …, Belfast

Support Officer – Intercultural Education Service (IES)

Job Purpose: This regional post helps the Education Authority meet its statutory responsibility in supporting pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including asylum seekers, refugees, Roma and Traveller communities. The Support Officer works closely with the IES Adviser to build school capacity, design and deliver appropriate support programmes and foster positive outcomes for newly arrived pupils and their families.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and deliver additional educational support programmes for minority ethnic pupils, particularly newly arrived and those requiring additional educational needs support.
• Encourage schools to help the wider family support children’s education through home visits, home-school liaison work and agreed transitionary arrangements.
• Promote effective communication, information sharing, cooperative learning and clustering within and across schools and youth organisations.
• Assist schools and youth organisations in identifying culturally appropriate curriculum and learning resources to support staff professional development.
• Assist schools and youth organisations in monitoring progress through effective target setting and evaluation procedures.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with other EA services including EWS, EPS, Youth, SARS/SEN, EOTAS, Behaviour Support and others.
• Reflect on feedback from schools and youth organisations and modify support as appropriate.
• Monitor and record ASR support activities and produce reports for the Director of Education, EA Committees and the Department of Education.
• Work in close co-operation with Health and Education colleagues to provide an effective educational support service for BME young children and their parents, including developing parental support plans.
• Provide advice and support to the relevant authorities, including voluntary committees, boards of governors, principals and teachers in matters relevant to developing positive educational experiences.
• Assist with the development of guidelines for local education authorities and community settings on the provision of education for BME students.
• Contribute to the development and production of suitable school-based or youth work focused learning support materials, particularly for literacy and numeracy.
• Encourage schools to use culturally specific or intercultural materials where appropriate.
• Assist IES in promoting its policies and programmes to improve educational provision for BME children and foster positive attitudes among stakeholders.
• Disseminate the outcomes and results of IES work through all schools and youth organisations in Northern Ireland to the Department of Education and relevant regional and local steering groups.

Essential Criteria

• Hold a relevant Bachelor’s degree (UK Qualification and Credit Framework Level 6) or an equivalent or higher qualification in teaching, social work or youth work and have at least three years of demonstrable experience planning and reviewing children and young people’s support planning in early years, teaching, social work or other relevant education settings; OR five years of such experience.
• Demonstrable experience of teaching, youth work or social work support at pre‑school, primary or post‑primary levels for children and young people with additional educational needs from minority ethnic communities.
• Demonstrable experience of collecting and reporting on educational data such as attendance and attainment.
• Demonstrable experience of innovation and creativity in delivering pupil and family support services.
• Demonstrable experience of high‑level communication skills, including one‑to‑one and small group meetings, multi‑agency meetings face‑to‑face and online via Teams and Zoom.
• Access to a suitable vehicle that is maintained and insured for Education Authority business, or sufficient evidence of alternative transport that meets mobility requirements.

Additional Essential Criteria (Interview)

• Display of strong cultural knowledge and/or experience working with children and young people from Roma, Traveller, asylum‑seeking or refugee‑experienced backgrounds.
• High degree of problem‑solving and analytical skills.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills, including conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated high levels of confidentiality when dealing with family support issues.
• Ability to prioritise tasks and work under pressure.
• Evidence that experience and approach to work reflect EA’s ethos and values.

Desirable Criteria

• Demonstrable experience of asylum‑seeker and refugee support for children and families.
• Experience recording and reporting on pupil support data, including school enrolments, transfers and progression monitoring.
• Experience with desktop/web‑based applications, including MS Excel.

Values

The Education Authority promotes equality of opportunity and seeks to deliver services that meet the needs of all children and young people, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equal access to excellent education services.

Legal and Compliance

Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background is required for any role involving regulated activity. Applicants will be expected to cover the cost of this certification, with payment details provided at the pre‑employment stage.

The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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