Vanessa Kerwin Email & Phone Number

Higher Lane

Bury

North West

The Opportunities Group is a well established and highly respected provider of excellent care. For us, meeting service user need is paramount. Services are structured around the people we care for. Staffing is flexible with ring fenced transport available if required. We operate through two main divisions. Opportunities provides full time and shared care residential services to children and young people and adults with learning disabilities. Also we now high quality personalised supported living packages to adults with learning disabilities.Through dedication, commitment and sheer hard work the company has grown consistently since it was formed in 2000.Today we are big enough to cope with the most complex care packages, yet still small enough to offer a truly personal service to all our clients.So, what is our secret?It’s simple: -We spend time completing a no – cost full assessmentWe spend time completing a full transition at your paceWe are realistic but ambitious in what we aim to achieveWe always communicate openly and honestlyWe are noted for our attention to detailAnd for you that means……………There are few surprisesPeople settle quickly and successfullyWe realise your ambitions for the people whom you serveNo details are overlooked

Universal Square, Manchester.

Universal Square, Ancoats, Manchester M12 6Jh.

We are a city-wide based team of generic caseworkers and our remit is to secure suitable education offers for children and young people with complex and additional needs. Our aim is to engage and involve families to identify needs and we work with Schools, Education providers, Social Care and other agencies to ensure collaboration and co-ordination to meet individual needs.Our focus is on children and young people who are in care, who are missing education and hard to place, who have special educational needs, who have been permanently excluded or are being home educated.We are linked to Manchester Children's Home to offer advice and support on educational matters.We investigate and present cases to schools as part of the In Year Fair Access Protocol and support Integrated Admissions and schools to deal with potentially complex admissions.We handle casework for the Statutory Assessment Team and monitor and attend Annual Education Reviews for pupils with statements who are placed in Independent, specialist provision.We are part of the District Panels. These are multi-agency partnerships with district representation from key partnership sectors set up to deliver Children's Trust priorities to improve outcomes for Manchester's Children and young people.

My role involved management and supervision of School Attendance officers for the North West and North East of Manchester.• Supervision of the performance, professional development and workload of designated staff from the School Attendance Improvement Service.• Feedback to the service manager about the developmental needs, performance and workload of the staff supervised.• Facilitate the interface between the SAIS Team Manager, schools and the Operational Manager to monitor and review the Education Welfare Officer services to schools and decision-making in respect of prosecutions for non-school attendance;This Involved • Case responsibility for a number of exceptionally complex cases, primarily those cases requiring presentation of prosecution at pre-trial and guilty pleas for non-school attendance.• To assist the Team Managers with the implementation of strategies, policies, processes and practices that support a whole system approach to service delivery.• To act as mentor and coach within the Area Teams, including taking responsibility for induction programmes and initial training;• To ensure that a performance focus is embedded within the Team;• To assist in the preparation and presentation of reports and information to appropriate meetings;• To contribute to some strategic developments with other countywide services and external agencies

My role involved ensuring that appropriate action is taken in response to any court direction which may involve the implementation of an Education Supervision Order or School Attendance Order.• To carry out the instructions contained in Schedule 3, Part III, of the Children Act 1989, in implementing any Education Supervision Order allocated to the Education Welfare Officer.• To liaise closely with the Special Services Section concerning pupils with SEN.• To initiate notifications to other Authorities of school age children moving into the area covered by those Authorities, and to check notifications of school age children moving into the area covered by the Education Welfare Officer to ensure attendance of such children at school• To make regular visits to schools to check on pupils' attendance, including consulting with the Head Teacher and/or other school staff on cases of irregular attendance referred by the school, giving advice and support on matters related to the attendance of the pupil.• To advise and assist parents and pupils to reduce pupils' absenteeism, including befriending pupils where appropriate, and to provide liaison between pupils and/or parents to secure pupils' regular attendance at school, including assisting in identifying problems of which a pupil's irregular attendance may be a symptom.• To liaise and co-ordinate with such agencies, including other sections of the Education Service and schools themselves, in the resolution of such problems including, where necessary, initiating meetings, preparing reports of them and attending case conferences.

Education record

Education record

Education record