Participation and Engagement Officer
37 hours per week (or 2 part-time 18.5 hours per week posts may be considered)
This role is office-based; however, it also offers some agile or remote working
The Isle of Wight Council are looking for passionate, enthusiastic, and relationship focused individuals to join our Children’s Services team as Participation and Engagement Officer/s.
This is a fantastic opportunity to champion the voices of children, young people, parents, and carers, ensuring they play a central role in shaping and improving the services that support them.
This role can be recruited as either a full-time position (37 hours) or two part-time positions (18.5 hours each). Please state your preference when applying and if you have a preferred focus group.
As a Participation and Engagement Officer, you will play a key part in delivering our Participation and Engagement Strategy across Children’s Social Care and Education & Inclusion. You will work to make sure families, children and young people have genuine influence over how services are planned, commissioned, delivered, and reviewed.
You will coordinate participation activity, strengthen relationships with stakeholders, and create opportunities for meaningful involvement. Your work will ensure that the lived experiences of children, young people, parents and carers are heard and that their voices lead to action.
Successful candidates may focus on one of the following areas:
Children and Young People focus:
Empowering children and young people to share their views, engage in decision-making, and participate in forums, activities, and service improvement initiatives.
Parents and Carers focus:
Ensuring parents and carers have a strong, influential voice in shaping Children’s Services, and that their experiences drive positive change.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the coordination and delivery of the Participation and Engagement Strategy
- Facilitate participation activities, consultations, and engagement events
- Build strong relationships with colleagues, partner agencies, and service users
- Support participation leads across the service to ensure consistent high quality practice
- Plan and deliver engagement opportunities that influence service development
- Coordinate and support events that celebrate achievements
- Ensure feedback from families and young people directly informs practice and service improvement
If you are passionate about empowering others, improving services, and making a real difference in the lives of babies, children, young people, and families, we would love to hear from you.
For further information and an informal discussion, please contact Kelly Quinn, Service Manager – Partnerships on 01983 823169 or email kelly.quinn@iow.gov.uk
PLEASE NOTE: These positions are on the national Soulbury pay scales.
Join #TeamIWC and you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:
- Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
- Local Government pension scheme
- Discounted Solent ferry travel
- Island bus network discount
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff parking permit scheme
- Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
- National and local discounts & benefits schemes
- Relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available for some roles (subject to criteria)
- Travel allowance may be available if commuting from the mainland (subject to criteria)
Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island.
The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.
We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees. We are an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community.
We are a Disability Confident employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.
The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by;
our values, culture and inclusivity
The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via adverts@iow.gov.uk if you would like to receive a copy.
The Isle of Wight Council reserve the right to close vacancies earlier than stated, if required. To ensure your application is considered, it is recommended to submit your application promptly.
This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
For support completing your online application or for further information on how to apply, phone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk. Only applications submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.
We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. Please revisit our job page for alternate posts that may be suitable.