Travel Assistance Officer

Job Description

The starting salary for this role is £13,995 per annum for working 18 hours per week.As part of the Travel Assistance Team, you will be responsible for assessing eligibility for travel assistance for both children withSEND and mainstream children and young people.This Travel Assistance Officer post is set within the Travel Assistance Team, who work with the Transport Coordination Centre. TCC are responsible for ensuring travel assistance arrangements are in place if a child or young person is eligible. Bothservices sit under the Commissioning directorate.About the RoleAs part of this important role, you will have regular written and verbal communication with parents, schools (including Headteachers), other internal Surrey teams, and other local authorities. You will be on hand to provide advice and support to applicantson individual travel assistance applications as well as provide advice on Surreys travel assistance policies. You will consider requests for solo routes and Passenger Assistants based on individual need and prepare the written case for travel assistance appeals,as well as prepare safety of route referrals.In this role you will work with the teamto ensure that applications are processed in accordance with deadlines and that Surreys statutory duties are met. You will have regard to travel assistance legislation and guidance and Surreys policies and processesrelating to home to school travel assistance.About YouYou shouldhave some practical experience of working within the SEND service areaor home to school travel assistance and will have some understanding of the legislation and guidance governing home to school travel assistance. Importantly, you will haveexperience of working effectively and flexibly as part of a team. In addition, you will have the ability to manage and prioritise a caseload and be able towork effectivelyunder pressure to meetdeadlines.We are looking for someone who has experience of handling difficult situations and has effective written and verbal communication skills that have been honed to deal with a diverse range of customers and partners. You will have the ability to identify processand service improvements and to work within a team to implement effective change, supporting others as necessary.The ability to make decisions to ensure effective use of budget and resources, negotiating and influencing successful outcomes, will be important. You shouldpossessthorough IT skills (including Word and Excel), have experience of using and updating databasemanagement systems, and be familiar with the principles of safeguarding and data protection.At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow. For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can helpshape our Council. Additional InformationThe job advert closes at 23:59 on 14/07/2022 with interviews to follow.An Basic DBS Disclosure and Barring Service check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB)will be required for this role.Contact DetailsFor an informal discussion about this role please contact Chris McShee via email at.uk.We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.BenefitsFrom flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave (pro rata for part time staff), risingto 28 days after 2 years service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visitMyBenefitsforSurrey County Council staff.Our CommitmentSurrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflectingthe community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.