Children and Families Liaison Officer
Bolton Council
Grade G scp 23 £34,434 to scp 27 £38,220 pay award pending Artificial Intelligence (AI) The Role This is a great time to join the SEND Assessment Service in Bolton. We know change is coming through the white paper and we are excited for the opportunities that this will bring. We want the right workforce in place to drive forward. The SEND Assessment Service is a busy team committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND) and we are proud to say that children and young people with SEND in Bolton typically have positive experiences and outcomes (Local Area SEND Inspection June 2024). As a Children and Families Liaison Officer, you will be a key interface between Bolton Council and schools, and families. Your purpose is to strengthen confidence in the SEN Support Offer, reduce unnecessary escalation to statutory processes, and ensure that children and young people receive timely, effective support. You will facilitate SEN Support Coproduction Planning meetings, support schools considering an EHC Needs Assessment, and work directly with parents/carers who may feel uncertain or mistrustful of the SEN Support pathway. You will help resolve disagreements early, promote good practice, deliver training, and contribute to a proactive, supportive SEND system. In Bolton we pride ourselves on our relationships, this is a role for someone who thrives on relationshipbuilding, problemsolving and championing inclusive practice. About You You will bring strong knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice, particularly around SEN Support and EHCP processes. You’ll be confident working with children and young people with SEND, their families and schools, and you’ll have a proven ability to resolve disagreements with sensitivity, objectivity and professionalism. Your communication skills both written and verbal will be excellent, and you’ll be comfortable advising others, delivering training, chairing Annual Reviews and supporting co production. You will be resilient, calm under pressure, and able to navigate emotive situations with empathy and clarity. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and statutory SEND processes, with particular understanding of SEN Support and Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments. You will have experience working directly with children and young people with SEND and be able to provide clear, informed advice to parents/carers and educational settings. You will have a proven ability to resolve disagreements between families, schools and the Local Authority, applying sensitivity, objectivity and professionalism at all times. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, alongside the ability to deliver training, support co production, and chair or contribute to Annual Reviews effectively. You will also demonstrate: Experience supporting parents/carers and schools, including providing structured advice This role requires a professional who can uphold Bolton Council’s values, work collaboratively across agencies, and contribute to a high quality, confidence building SEN Support Offer for children, young people and their families. This is your opportunity to join us at an exciting time as we have strong ambitions for the borough. Bolton is a great place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected and prosperous. We are passionate about improving the outcomes and experience of Bolton people. We want Bolton to be a vibrant place built on strong cohesive communities, successful businesses and healthy, engaged residents. As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services. Our Values are really important to us, read all about them below, along with all our great staff benefits, the job description/person specification for the role and the important legal bits, and our Top Tips too. Ready to apply? Then please click Apply and explain how you meet the points on the person specification. Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply. This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service-related benefits. Please see the home page of greater.jobs for more information. For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see greater.jobs; for advice and support with your application, contact recruitment@bolton.gov.uk
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37 per week
Essential requirement: full driving licence
Interview date: 30 September 2026
For further information about this role, contact: Sarah.nicholson@bolton.gov.uk
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Please read the detailed information at the bottom of this advert before you make an application as it may be rejected if we detect AI use.
Ask us about flexible working options to fit with your work/life balance - #HappytoTalkFlexible
The role requires excellent negotiation and mediation skills, with the capacity to manage emotive and complex situations calmly and objectively. You will be resilient, able to work under pressure, and committed to maintaining positive working relationships with families, schools and colleagues across the SEND system.
Experience delivering training to professionals
Experience of dispute resolution within SEND contexts
Strong communication, negotiation and mediation skills
Ability to manage sensitive, complex situations objectively
About Us
This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.Supporting Documents
↗ Job description and person spec
↗ Documents for Right to Work
↗ Staff Benefits
↗ Privacy Notice
↗ Our Values & Behaviours
↗ Top Tips
Ready to apply?
Location
Smithills Dean Rd, Smithills Dean Road, Bolton, BL1 7NP, United Kingdom
Job ID
3335
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