**INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY** Senior SEND Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO3 £44,331 - £47,532

Contract Type: Full time, Permanent

Working hours per week: 36 hours

Application Deadline: 17/02/2025

Proposed Interview Date(s): 24/02/2025
Reference:1625

**INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY**

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council's preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.

About the role:

We are recruiting one Senior SEND Officer to expand our very busy team. As a Senior SEND Case Officer, your role will be to support the SEND Managers to make certain that the statutory assessment process is adhered to and that a quality Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) is developed in line with the principles of the SEND Code of Practice and the Local Authority's (LA) own practices, procedures and corporate values i.e. life chances. You will be expected to advocate the comprehensive use of Capita One, the SEND case management system and ensure that staff are updating records accurately and in a timely way.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will be expected to implement the SEND framework for the EHC needs assessment and production of the EHCP. To identify and provide support and training with line managers to the SEND Case Officers. To provide supervisory support to SEND Case Officers to enable them to be confident in their roles and to support them through the LA's policy and procedures. Provide expert advice, guidance and support to colleagues, service users and partner agencies. To support SEND Case Officers to understand and implement the SEND Code of Practice, in order to enhance communication across partnership and with stakeholders. To improve the SEND Service's agenda of the inclusion within schools, to make certain that the appropriate school is allocated to the needs of the pupil.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Degree or equivalent or vocational qualification in relevant subject or area

IPSEA Qualification

Evidence of continued professional development

Confident in the use of Capita One

In depth knowledge and understanding of current SEN legislation: Children and Families Act, Equalities Act, SEND Code of Practice, SEND Regulations, Case Law, statutory procedures and processes governing the provision of services for children with special educational needs.

Working knowledge of the Mediation and complaints process

Knowledge and understanding of the impact of SEND on children and young people's educational outcomes.

Experience of writing person-centred EHCPs to a high standard and consistently within the legislative framework.

Experience of communicating with children, young people and their families concerning complex issues.

Experience of providing reflective supervision

Experience of navigating and interrogating databases

Experience of managing complex, challenging and sensitive meetings with relevant stakeholders

Ability to make informed decisions and contribute towards cross-partnership decisions on complex matters

Proven track record of complex case management in a multi-disciplinary environment

Ability to analyse and interpret detailed and complex information and to use such information to benefit work objectives.

Ability to quickly assimilate information and make informed decisions under short time constraints.

Proven ability to communicate effectively in both written and oral format with a variety of audiences to ensure that key issues are identified and understood.

Proven negotiation and influencing skills that achieve desired outcomes.

Ability to work with minimum supervision, balancing using own initiative against need to seek management guidance.

Proven ability to work collaboratively as an effective wider team member to achieve service aspirations.

Ability to acquire and apply new knowledge to ensure that work/advice is consistent and reliable.

Proven ability to anticipate problems and achieve workable solutions to complex problems and to ensure contingencies are planned for.

Ability to identify work priorities and manage team workload to meet deadlines, ensuring objectives and targets are achieved with minimal disruption.

Ability to advise colleagues and take responsibility for the overall quality of the work related to mediations and tribunals

Ability to demonstrate sensitivity and objectivity in dealing with emotive and confidential issues

Ability to follow all relevant safeguarding procedures

Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service

Willingness to travel for the role

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;

Satisfactory declaration of interest;

This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults;

Satisfactory DBS check;

As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the 'Apply' button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Dorothy Hadleigh, Strategic SEND Lead at Dorothy.hadleigh@walthamforest.gov.uk

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.