Senior SEND Officer
Team: EHC Team
Job Family: Supporting - CBG11
Salary: £39,769 - £42,922 per annum pro rata
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent.
Closing Date: 21st April 2025
Interview Date: TBC - April 2025
About the role:
Central Bedfordshire Council would like to offer the opportunity to work as a Senior SEND Officer with the EHC Team within the Children and Families Service. Successful applicants will have proven experience of working within the parameters of the SEND Code of Practice, a working knowledge of SEND Legislation and procedures and a history of working directly with children and young people with SEND.
Prior experience of working within a Local Authority SEND Team or similar, or as a SENCo/EHCP Coordinator within an educational setting is essential for the Senior SEND Officer role and therefore candidates with proven experience in this area will be prioritised for interview.
About the EHC Team
The EHC Team is an exciting and fast paced, vibrant team. It’s a great time to join us; Children’s Services has been awarded ‘employer of the year’.
The Local Authority is striving to make improvements in the area of SEND with an Accelerated Progress Plan revisit scheduled for the autumn in 2024 by the DfE/NHSE. Central Bedfordshire are a lead for the Eastern Region with Luton and Beds Borough in piloting the SEND Reforms from the White Paper as part of the Change Partnership Programme.
We pride ourselves on being a highly performing workforce which embraces a continual learning and developing culture.
The successful applicant will have sound proven knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and SEND Legislation and procedures and a good understanding of the statutory EHC Needs Assessment process includingwriting, reviewing and amending Education, Health and Care Plans in accordance with statutory guidance.
Candidates will be expected to work in close collaboration with children, young people and their families, schools and setting staff and other professionals in education, health and social care. Excellent communication skills are essential for this role.
You will have a commitment to ensuring children and young people achieve positive outcomes in line with their aspirations and enable them to move successfully into adulthood.
Prior experience of working within a Local Authority SEND Team or similar, or as a SENCo/EHCP Coordinator within an educational setting is desirable for the this role and therefore candidates with proven experience in this area will be prioritised for interview.
The EHC team is responsible for carrying out statutory duties and processes linked to education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25. The team works with children, young people, parents and professionals to co-produce education, health and care plans and agreeing provision and educational placement.
About the Senior SEND Officer Role
Senior SEND Officers are a central part of the team, you will have a key role within a friendly and large team. In this role you will have the opportunity to progress with career development options to take accredited training.
Main duties of the role include;
- working to ensure effective management of a caseload of EHCPs within a geographic locality of Central Bedfordshire
- attendance at way-forward and mediation meetings with parents and professionals to explain Local Authority decisions
- management and oversight of appeals to the SEND Tribunal
- preparing cases for Local Authority SEND Panels, ensuring decisions are made within statutory timescales and that decisions are shared with parents, carers and professionals
- management of the monitoring and review of existing EHCPS; including amending and issuing EHCPs following a review and attending review meetings in complex cases
- providing advice to schools, parents and professionals regarding statutory processes
- planning and providing training regarding statutory processes for professionals and parents
- consulting with schools and supporting school admissions for pupils with an EHCP- particularly in cases of exclusion
- attending meetings and Local Authority Panels as required
- directing the SEND Officer as required to ensure effective case management
- representing the SEND team as part of the wider Children’s Services Team
Please note that before applying, prior experience of working within a Local Authority SEND Team, or as a SENCo/EHCP Coordinator within an educational setting is essential for this role. Please include this information in your application.
Our Offer
We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page
Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.
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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies detailed within this Recruitment Pack.
Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.
For any enquiries about these positions, please contact Emily Stirling at emily.stirling@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or 0300 300 5272
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* Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert early. If you would like to apply for this position then please keep this information in mind when preparing your submission *
Safeguarding (For DBS posts only):
Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.
To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.
Our National Careers Service team offer a free weekly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours. Please book your place here.
More information about this service can be found here: Support getting into work or learning | Central Bedfordshire Council