Senior SEND Resolutions Officer

Job Title: Senior SEND Resolutions Officer
Starting Salary: £42,839 - £47,181 pa
Hours: 37
Base Location: Farnham House Stevenage or Apsley, Hemel Hempstead with requirement to travel across the county.
Contract Type: Permanent or 12-month secondment
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

We continue to strive to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Join our growing team of passionate professionals who share a commitment to making a real difference.

About the role

As a Senior SEND Resolutions Officer, you will play a pivotal role in helping families, professionals and the local authority reach positive, timely and lawful resolutions in complex SEND cases. You will act as the service’s specialist lead for mediation, providing expert oversight of the mediation process and managing high-risk or sensitive cases where negotiation, clarity and balance are essential.

You’ll work closely with families, education settings, health partners and legal colleagues to understand issues in depth, explore solutions, and guide all parties towards agreement wherever possible — often preventing escalation to Tribunal. You’ll bring authority and confidence to challenging conversations, using your detailed knowledge of SEND legislation, your analytical skills, and your ability to build trust in emotionally charged situations.

In this varied and fast-paced role, you will handle complex casework, identify risks, advise colleagues across the service, and role-model high standards of communication, professionalism and decision-making. You’ll support continual improvement of mediation practice and contribute to a culture that puts children, young people and families at the centre of everything we do.

If you have strong SEND experience, thrive on problem-solving, and are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for families, this is a chance to have a real and lasting impact

About you

Essential:

• Significant knowledge of SEND law and statutory processes, including the Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice and Equality Act 2010.
• Proven experience managing complex SEND casework, systems or processes within a local authority or related setting.
• Strong negotiation, influencing and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to manage high‑risk or sensitive cases.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to explain complex information clearly and adapt your style for families, professionals and senior stakeholders.
• Highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and plan work across extended periods.
• Demonstrable ability to build constructive relationships with families, schools, health partners and other agencies.
• Experience working with multi‑disciplinary teams and supporting families through challenging or contentious processes.
• Understanding of the wider political, legislative and organisational context impacting SEND services.
• Experience of advocacy, mediation or representing cases at Tribunal or similar formal processes.

Desirable:

• Line management experience

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 HSC11 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Health and social care

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Alistair.Hines@hertfordshire.gov.uk / Vanessa.Croxford@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 6th February in Apsley

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.

Secondment
This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and would like to be considered as a Secondment contract, please ensure you complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only.

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 drive and/or 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.