SEND Operations Partner - Working for Essex

About the role

SEND Operations Partner

Fixed Term, Full Time

£31,812 to £37,427 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 6th January 2025

This is a 12 month Fixed Term Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to support our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Operations team. Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with SEND.

Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council’s statutory services.

Job Purpose and Accountabilities

The SEND Operations Partner will manage and develop a team of SEND Operations Co-ordinators and SEND Operations Assistants within a quadrant, according to the vision for SEND in Essex. Effectively delivering the council’s statutory duties in relation to the assessment and review of children/young people with SEND.

The postholder is responsible for:

· The management, review and quality assurance of Education, Health, and Care plans (EHCPs) and Education, Health and Care needs assessments (ECHNAs). Working with the SEND Operations Lead and deputising as necessary to develop best practice within the team and with partner agencies. Providing guidance and direction to the team to ensure the SEND Code of Practice 2015, Essex Guidelines and maintain the children and young people (CYP) and their family are at the heart of the process.

· Presenting cases to decision making panels. Identifying when the local authority could be at risk of legal challenge, making decisions regarding appropriate next steps and taking appropriate action. Making placement or funding decisions within agreed parameters and making recommendations to high-cost decision making panels as necessary

· Having knowledge of the National Curriculum for ages 0-25, suitable provision for those with SEND aged 0-25 and an understanding of the likely external professional involvement with the child/young person.

· Lead a team of SEND Operations Co-ordinators and Assistants within a quadrant, co-ordinating induction, training and development programmes and the allocation of work. Provide casework supervision to the team to progress casework, ensuring statutory timescales are adhered to. Providing regular wellbeing supervision and promote ECC’s wellbeing strategy.

· Responsible for securing appropriate educational provision (both within and out of the Authority) for all Essex CYP with an EHCP, within an agreed geographical area, in line with the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and legislative requirements, considering appropriate use of public expenditure.

· Working collaboratively with partners in agencies such as Health and Social Care to ensure their engagement in the EHC Needs Assessment and EHCP review process, supporting direct individual work for the most complex situations.

· Attendance at regular admission/review meetings with special schools, enhanced provisions, PRUs. Act as local authority gatekeeper for special schools and enhanced provisions. Be part of joint decision-making panels for admissions into these provisions. Attendance at and contribution to decision making as an Education representative at ICPC, RCPC, CETR and other meetings relating to safeguarding matters and service delivery.

· Support with Tribunal casework. Determining whether schools’ responses to consultations meet the legal threshold to refuse admission for a child with SEND and formulating a response outlining the local authority decision, giving consideration of any additional support that may be required. Communicate the outcome from decision making panels, clearly articulating the local authority position and applying professional challenge with regards to the legal framework where appropriate.

The Experience You Will Bring

· Educated to RQF level 4 or equivalent by experience.

· Evidence of excellent leadership and behavioural skills and management experience

· Effective time management and prioritisation skills with the confidence to work autonomously and adapt quickly and effectively to changing circumstances/situations.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build strong working relationships which are collaborative and engender delivery.

· Experience of successful dispute resolution through effective mediation and negotiation.

· Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills with an understanding of how to facilitate and mediate in situations which are perceived as challenging.

· Evidence of thorough knowledge of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and the authority’s statutory responsibilities.

· Significant knowledge and experience of working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and with their families including ‘hard to reach’ families.

· Significant experience of reviewing and quality assurance of Education, Health, and Care plans (EHCP) for children and young people.

To read more about us please visit: Education

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

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.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

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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