SEND Implementation & Support Officer

Job Title: SEND Implementation & Support Officer
Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum
Hours: 37
Base Location: Apsley, Hemel Hempstead with countywide travel required.
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

Do you have experience of working operationally with children and their families, a depth of knowledge of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a strong knowledge of the Statutory SEND Process and experience of implementing strategies for children and young people with SEND?

The SEND Implementation Support and Statutory Assessment Team are a group of SEND professionals who work closely with SENCos, professionals and families to help schools work out the best ways of supporting a child or young person’s additional needs in school. We are there to answer your questions, however simple, and work together with schools and settings to find solutions to the more complex challenges.

An opportunity has arisen to join our team. We are seeking a dynamic individual, experienced in supporting young people with special educational needs, to join our team as a SEND Implementation Support Officer. In this role you would act as a bridge between services, schools and parents, providing support with the implementation of SEND strategies.

About the role

This role will see you:

• Support SENCos to understand provision on an EHC plan, and to arrange and plan delivery of first implementation, including supporting with school’s considerations of placement in line with consultation processes
• Delivering quality checks on behalf of the authority for new plans – e.g. section F checklist
• Attending decision making forums in order to support quality decision making and supporting settings identified with perceived high levels of need through these forums
• Develop and secure the highest standards of achievement and inclusion for children and young people with SEN through effective support for schools within the policy and budget framework of the Council, ensuring a focus on preparing for adulthood from the earliest ages.
• Take responsibility for the preparation of information for schools but also parents and young people, which provides the right information at the appropriate time, in a simple to use way, which engages partners in understanding what our responsibility is to children, families and schools.
• To work collaboratively with professionals across education, health and care services to ensure effective case management, integrated working practice and successful outcomes for children, including supporting mediation and appeals.
• To participate in planning around phase transfer – working with groups of schools
• To participate, as required, in a range of meetings with other professionals and parents/carers in relation to individual children with complex needs, including representing Children’s Services at annual review, chairing reviews, attending and chairing multi-agency meetings as appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of policy, procedures and provision for children with SEN children’s needs, which includes maintaining an up to date knowledge relating to SEN casework, changes to national legislation and departmental policies, and supporting induction/training and support to all team members.
• To input and maintain accurate and comprehensive database records as required and participate in the Local Authority’s systems for monitoring and quality assurance for children and young people known to the EHC assessment and review team.

About you

Essential:

• Extensive experience working in schools with children and young people with SEND.
• Knowledge of support across a range of SEND including an understanding of strategies, approaches, and current interventions and how they are put into practice
• Exceptional skill in building and maintaining relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, instilling confidence and clarity so that the EHCP is effectively delivered
• Knowledge of law and procedures governing EHCP provision including the Children and Families Act 2014, SEN Code of Practice 2014 and the Equalities Act 2010
• Excellent organisation skills including an ability to work unsupervised, systematically and an ability to manage constraints and conflicting demands and work to tight deadlines
• Excellent customer service skills using verbal and written communication methods
• Excellent IT skills including the ability to compile reports, analyse data and ensure the respective database is used to plan and monitor to meet statutory deadlines.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Health and Social Care Services, level HSC10 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Health and social care

This is an exciting opportunity to play a vital role in a team passionate about shaping support for educational settings to improve the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Sarah Wainwright (sarah.wainwright@hertfordshire.gov.uk) for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 22nd September (Face to Face at Farnham House, Stevenage)

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.