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SEND Operations Lead

Employer
Essex County Council
Location
England, Essex
Salary
Up to £44299 per annum
Closing date
11 May 2021

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Job role
Manager
Contract Type
Full time

This position will initially, in line with current government guidance, be based from home rather than the office. , If / when government guidelines change the role may then revert to being office based, whilst retaining some flexible working options.

Job Purpose

Essex County Council (ECC) 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 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an early stage and which provides appropriate and support to bring about improved outcomes for children and young people without such high dependence on Essex County Council's statutory services.

As SEND Operations Lead you will manage and develop the SEND Operations service, working collaboratively across the quadrant education leadership team, central education services and with health and social care teams. You will lead effective delivery of ECC's statutory duties, as outlined in the Childrens and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015, regarding the assessment and review processes for children and young people with SEND, in one of four quadrants.

With a Level 4 SEN award or equivalent and evidence of the successful management of SEND and statutory assessment processes, the successful candidate will also have a deep understanding of Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015.

Key Accountabilities

  • Lead the SEND Operations team to ensure efficient and effective delivery of the council's statutory duties in relation to the assessment and review process for children and young people (CYP) with SEND, within a quadrant.
  • Responsible for the admission process for all children and you people with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), into appropriate placements, whilst ensuring effective use of public resources.
  • Responsible for the execution of ECC's statutory duties in relation to processes and placements of CYP with EHCPs, including those who are not in a school placement, supporting the transition plans between key stages and where placement breakdown necessitates a change of provision.
  • Influencing key partners including, health services, social care services and educational settings, to ensure their contribution to the EHCP process and the co-production of associated paperwork, taking into account the views and aspirations of parents, carers and CYP. Ensuring delivery of the future vision for school/setting led SEND.
  • Responsible for analysing data and identifying trends to inform and influence decisions relating to EHCP assessments, reviews, and future provision development, including resource allocation.
    Responsible for the complaints procedure within a quadrant; representing the Council in communications with head teachers, governors, elected members, MPs, other agencies and parents.
  • Responsible for ensuring casework, including mediation, is efficiently and effectively managed, resolving sensitive and contentious individual cases, e.g. following up letters of complaint by the Ombudsman, DfES, Judicial Reviews and Child Protection matters. Ensure continuous improvement because of lessons learned.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

  • Educated to RFQ Level 6 (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent [RS-SQM1]by experience and possesses Level 4 of the SEN awards.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge of the Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice 2015 and the local authority's statutory responsibilities in relation to assessment and review of children and young people with SEND.
  • Evidence of successful management of SEND services, statutory assessment and review processes.
  • Evidence of forging effective working relationships with external partners including schools, settings, health and social care colleagues, as well as parents and parental representatives.
  • Evidence of effectively and sensitively dealing with a wide range of people regarding difficult and complex issues, including the use of effective negotiation and providing successful challenge and support to educational settings and other agencies.

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