Short Break Officer

Job Introduction

Short Break Officer

Disabled Children and Young People's Service

As part of our continued commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and disabilities, we are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Short Break Officer to join our Disabled Children and Young People's Service.

This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with children, young people and families, helping to coordinate high-quality short break services that promote independence, wellbeing and positive outcomes.

About the Role

As a Short Break Officer, you will take a lead role in coordinating short break services for children and young people with disabilities and complex needs through a key worker approach. Acting as a single point of contact for families, you will work collaboratively with children, parents, carers and professionals to assess needs, develop support plans and ensure services are making a meaningful difference.

You will promote Preparation for Adulthood outcomes in all aspects of your work, supporting children and young people to develop independence and achieve their potential.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of children and young people accessing short break services.
• Act as a key contact for families, providing advice, guidance and support.
• Undertake assessments and reviews of support packages in partnership with families and professionals.
• Develop and review outcome-focused support plans to ensure children and young people's needs are met.
• Visit children and families in their homes, schools and community settings to inform assessments and reviews.
• Liaise with short break providers, schools, health professionals and other agencies to coordinate support.
• Make recommendations for appropriate support packages based on assessed need.
• Lead and participate in reviews, Team Around the Child meetings, Disabled Child Support Plan reviews and EHC Plan reviews.
• Promote independence, inclusion and Preparation for Adulthood outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience working with children and young people with disabilities, SEND and complex needs.
• Has strong assessment, planning and review skills.
• Is passionate about improving outcomes for children and supporting families.
• Can build effective relationships with children, families and partner agencies.
• Has excellent communication, organisation and case management skills.
• Understands person-centred and strengths-based approaches to working with families.
• Is committed to promoting independence and Preparing for Adulthood outcomes.

Why Join Us?

This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families in Greenwich. You will join a supportive and committed team that is focused on delivering high-quality services and ensuring children with disabilities can access opportunities, build independence and thrive.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Alex Levey on Alexandra.Levey@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Diversity Statement: Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Advert Close: All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated.

Early Advert Close: Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any job advert earlier than the advertised closing date where there is reason to do so (for example high volume of applications).

Full Employment History: A full employment history is required for this role. Please provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.

How Applications are Scored: Each application is scored according to how well the supporting statements addresses each point on the Person Specification for the role. Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the extent to which they meet the specific points within the Person Specification. The Person Specification is supplied with the job advert. When completing your application, please use the supporting statements section to tell us how you meet each of the points on the Person Specification. We need to have this information in order to consider your application.

Salary: Salaries advertised are for a standard working week of 35 hours unless otherwise stated. Please use this 'Salary Calculator to help you calculate a pro rata salary.

Our Staff Values: Our Staff Values are important to us. Candidates will be continuously assessed against our staff values throughout the recruitment process. Where candidates demonstrate views and behaviours that do not meet the standards of our staff values, we reserve the right to reject their application/ registration.