Legal Liaison Officer Stockport Council Stockport £37,280 - £41,771 Expires on 14/09/2025

Legal Liaison OfficerSO2 (£37,280 - £41,771)37 Hours, Full TimePermanentThis post is a hybrid post with the main base at Stopford House. There will be times the postholder will be expected to attend court or meeting in other Council buildingsApplication Deadline: 11:59pm 14th September 2025Please be aware that we may close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.Shortlisting Date: 16th September 2025Interview Date: 29th September 2025Interview Type: In personWhile we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Stockport Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.Join us at Stockport Council MJ Local Authority of the Year 2025Your RoleWe are looking for a Legal Liaison Officer to join us at Stockport Council. This is an exciting new role within our Education Welfare Team, developed due to the increasing demands from the introduction of the Education Penalty Notice framework and the statutory guidance Working together to improve attendance August 2024.This role will involve carrying out the local authority statutory duties for all the attendance legal intervention (not needing a solicitor). This will include managing the Local Authority’s systems for issuing and enforcing attendance-related Education Penalty Notices, including preparing the Single Justice Packs, attending court and giving evidence from cases being managed and overseeing the preparation of school attendance prosecutions issued by the Local Authority. You will also provide support and challenge to schools around the use of attendance enforcement measuresAbout YouWe are looking for someone with a ‘can do’ approach and significant experience of engaging with and providing support and advice to young people and their families, with particular skills in negotiating and advocating on behalf of others. The successful applicant will also have experience of multi-agency and partnership working, ideally within a school, education or local authority setting.Applicants should have excellent administration and communication skills, both verbal and written, and have experience of managing sensitive and challenging conversations and situations. They must be able to demonstrate resilience and the ability to work flexibly, prioritise workload, meet deadlines and problem-solve in a reactive working environmentAbout UsThe successful applicant will join a proactive, friendly and supportive team within the Education Welfare Service, working alongside colleagues dealing with attendance, elective home education, education provision for children unable to attend school due to health needs, and children missing education. As part of Stockport Family, we are committed to providing high quality services to children, young people and their families. We provide an excellent working environment where you will feel valued and supported and offer excellent training and professional development opportunities.At Stockport Council we are one ambitious team on a mission to create opportunities for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough. Working at Stockport Council means contributing to one of the most thriving towns in the North. We’re keen to recruit people with the right values and behaviours that can help us ensure our workplace values are at the heart of everything we do.We are proud to be recognised under the Good Employment Charter as an organisation committed to the wellbeing of our colleagues. As members of the charter, we have been recognised as a great place to work for all colleagues and pledge to pay the real living wage, engage staff in key decisions and endorse fair and flexible working conditions.If you would like to find out more, please contact Wendy Cathie on 0161 474 3971 [emailprotected] for an informal discussion about the role.The successful applicant’s appointment will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances including a Disclosure and Barring Service check.Stockport Council holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not currently qualify.Please note that we have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers and ex-military personnel. As part of the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme you will therefore be guaranteed to be shortlisted for Assessment if you meet both the criteria for the scheme and the essential job role criteria.Follow our recruitment team on X , Instagram and Facebook for updates on our vacancies and recruitment events.Stockport Council is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce culture - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities to join our workforce.We want our employees to have a good work life balance and in many job roles we can offer a range of flexible/hybrid working arrangements. We also have inclusive employment policies and staff engagement forums to support our diverse workforce. We will listen to, learn from, and develop our workforce.Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XE, United KingdomA generous annual leave allowance, up to 30 days annual leave dependent on grade and length of service, plus bank holidays with the option to purchase additional annual leaveWork Life Balance

Work and personal life balance. Many jobs include part time working, flexi-time and homeworkingEmployee engagement networks to support colleagues and create opportunities to feed into both workforce and borough strategiesSupport for volunteering by allowing up to 4 hours per month (pro rata) to carry out any duties associated with thisLearning and Development

A suite of learning and development opportunities, from important data protection training to all level apprenticeshipsDiscounts

A huge range of discounts via an easy to use portal, including: Gym memberships, restaurants, events, travel, cycle to work scheme, home electronics and more.Access to an employee support hotline, available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.Pension Scheme

Option to join the Local Government Pension Scheme and give your pension a boost by enrolling into a salary sacrifice scheme.Our Recruitment Journey

Seen a job you’re interested in but want to understand more about our recruitment process?1Application stage

When you have seen a job, you are interested in you can submit your application online by clicking ‘Apply Now’, some vacancies will ask you to complete a supporting statement where you should address the About You section of the Job Profile for the role. Other vacancies will ask you to upload a CV.2Shortlisting

In keeping with our commitment to inclusion, recruiting managers take an anonymised approach to recruiting when shortlisting your application form. They will use the supporting information section of your application and your work history to assess your suitability for the job. You''ll be notified of the outcome of your application form via email and if successful you''ll be invited to book an interview slot.3Interviews

When preparing for the interview, you should familiarise yourself with the job profile. The About You section of the job profile contains the criteria that will be assessed at interview stage. You can prepare for interview by ensuring that you have clear examples relating to how you have met these criteria. If you require any reasonable adjustments because of a disability under the Equality Act, to assist you during the selection process we would be pleased to discuss them with you on [emailprotected]4Offer stage and pre-employment checks

Offer stage and pre-employment checks If you''re offered the job after interviewing, you''ll be sent a conditional offer detailing your new role. Along with the conditional contract and offer letter, our team will be in touch regarding your pre-employment checks.

The pre-employment checks that you will need to undertake will depend on the role that you''ve applied for. These checks may include:• right to work in the UK• Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

The information provided will be dealt with in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice• gaps in employment• reference checks. We will request references prior to issuing your conditional contract• pre-employment health declaration• qualification ..... full job details .....