SEND Careers Support Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

SEND Careers Support Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£38,487 to £51,834 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 26th August 2026

Interview Dates: 3rd & 4th September 2026

The Role

The SEND Careers Advice Service forms part of Preparing for Adulthood under SEND Strategy & Innovation, supporting children and young people aged 0 to 25 years who have special educational needs and / or disabilities, and their families.

Under the direction of the SEND Careers Leads, the SEND Careers Support Officer will undertake participation tracking and reporting, alongside providing initial Information, Advice, and Guidance (IAG) to young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 13 – 25, and their support networks where required. You will contribute to raising aspirations, improving personal confidence and removing barriers to progression. The SEND Careers Support Officer will work in a person-centred way, ensuring young people are listened to, empowered and supported to achieve their individual goals.

A flexible, compassionate and collaborative approach is essential, as is the ability to form positive and supportive relationships with young people aged 13 – 25.

Accountabilities

· Communicate directly with young people with SEND (13–25) and / or their support networks, to gather information on their current situation.

· Provide clear and accessible information, advice and guidance to young people and their support networks, helping them make informed decisions about education, training and employment pathways and signposting to relevant opportunities and support mechanisms.

· Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders to promote inclusive opportunities and advocate for young people. This will include education provisions, training providers, employers, social care, the Youth Service, and other specialist services.

· Assist SEND Careers Advisors in brokering tailored opportunities that support the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) pathways.

· Maintain accurate records of interactions, outcomes, and documentation, prepare reports and contribute to data gathering to better understand local needs and inform future planning.

· Manage a small caseload under the supervision of the Senior Lead SEND Careers Advisor, meeting agreed timescales for interventions.

· Assist the SEND Careers Team in the planning and delivery of group workshops, careers events, engagement activities, and working groups as appropriate.

· Contribute to continuous improvement by sharing observations, feedback and suggestions to enhance service delivery.

· Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework

Skills and Knowledge

· ' Educated to Level 3 Certificate in Information, Advice, and Guidance (or equivalent)'

· Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) to maintain and update skills, knowledge and professional practice relevant to working with children and young people.

· Experience working with young people with a range of learning difficulties and / or disabilities.

· Clear understanding of relevant legislation including the SEND Code of Practice (2015) Children and Families Act (2014), and the Education Act 1996 & Education and Skills Act 2008.

· Able to work effectively with a range of partners to support effective outcomes in line with differing priorities and deadlines.

· Ability to use management information systems and Microsoft Office programs to support the recording of young people’s information.

· A knowledge of person-centred planning to support strengths-based outcomes for young people.

· Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to listen and inform, negotiate and seek solutions to challenging and complex situations.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site .

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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