Senior Case Manager SENA

Job Description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA

Salary: £43,860 - £47.829 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) (Pay Award Pending)

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 3rd June 2026

Interview Date(s): 10th & 11th June 2026

Are you an experienced SEND professional with a strong commitment to high-quality, child‑centred statutory practice? Do you have the expertise and confidence to take the lead on complex EHCP casework, support colleagues’ development and contribute to continuous service improvement?

Leicestershire County Council is seeking a dedicated and skilled Senior SENA Case Manager to play a vital role within our Special Educational Needs Assessment Service, specifically within our Tribunals and Mediation team. This is an excellent opportunity to combine advanced casework with leadership, coaching and quality assurance responsibilities in a high‑profile statutory service supporting children, young people and families across Leicestershire.

About the Role

As a Senior SENA Case Manager, you will be an experienced practitioner within the service, using your professional expertise to support consistently high‑quality SEND assessment, planning and review activity. You will hold a caseload of predominantly complex cases and act as the lead professional, ensuring work is delivered in line with SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice and local policies, with children and families at the centre of practice.

Working closely with the SENA Team Manager, you will also contribute to practice leadership within the team, providing guidance, supervision and developmental support to Case Managers, and helping to drive continuous improvement across the service.

This key role involves:

• Leading complex statutory SEN assessments, reviews and planning activity using a person‑centred approach
• Preparing for and representing the local authority at mediations and SEND appeal tribunals, working alongside Legal Services and partner agencies
• Attending and leading a range of formal meetings including annual reviews, co‑production meetings, mediation meetings and tribunal hearings
• Modelling high‑quality casework practice and supporting the professional development of colleagues through coaching, joint working and practice education
• Providing line management and professional supervision to SENA Case Managers in line with the supervision framework
• Using performance data and service intelligence to inform decision making, quality assurance and service improvement
• Supporting process improvement, service reviews and the development of efficient, effective SEND systems and digital pathways
• Taking thematic or lead responsibility for agreed areas of policy, practice development or quality assurance
• Working in close partnership with education settings, parents/carers, young people, health, social care and other statutory and non‑statutory partners
• Acting as a key liaison point between Case Managers and the SENA Team Manager when required
• Contributing to complaints handling, audit activity and safeguarding responsibilities within the service

You will be a confident, skilled practitioner who can balance operational delivery with practice leadership, quality assurance and partnership working.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must:

• A relevant professional qualification (or equivalent experience within the SEND field), with evidence of continuing professional development
• Strong knowledge of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice and local authority statutory duties
• Experience of supporting and developing colleagues through supervision, coaching or joint working
• Proven ability to lead complex multi‑agency, person-centred casework and achieve positive outcomes for children and young people
• Significant knowledge of the factors and influences which can impact on children achieving positive outcomes, including cognitive development, physical difficulties or other SEN needs
• Advanced skills in communication, both written and verbal, with children, young people, parents/carers, colleagues and other professionals and the ability to present information in formal settings such as person-centred planning meetings, annual reviews, mediations and tribunal proceedings
• The ability to work flexibly, manage competing demands and meet deadlines in a high‑pressure statutory environment

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Rhiannon Smith - SENA Service Manager - Secondary

Email: Rhiannon.smith@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About us

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us