SEND Case Officer

Service Care Solutions are looking for a Sen Case Officer to work within the Nottinghamshire City Council on a 3-month contract.

Location: Nottingham

Job role/responsibilities:
To provide an efficient, effective, and responsive Special Educational Needs Service to parents, schools and children in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Children and Adults Department. To carry out casework in relation to children with special educational needs in accordance with the LA's statutory responsibility including statutory assessments and Education Health and Care Plans, (EHCP).

• Manage casework and achieve effective outcomes for children and young people with the most significant complex special educational needs within a defined geographical area. Facilitate and lead a multi-agency approach according to the Children and Families Act 2014, with partner agencies.
• Devise, implement and monitor cost effective individual alternative education programmes for those children and young people with the most complex needs.
• Work in partnership with all agencies to ensure that children and young people with special educational needs are effectively safeguarded.
• Chair the EHC Assessment decision making Panel which is a multi-agency group comprising senior officers from education, health, and social care. The panel makes decisions on requests for statutory assessments.
• Ensure that EHCPs and Note in Lieu's are of a high quality and completed and issued within statutory timeframes defined within the Children and Families Act.
• Represent the LA at Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals (SENDIST) and prepare and submit the LA's Statement of Case.
• Advise and negotiate with Head Teachers about their responsibilities for children with special educational needs, and to direct admissions to schools where necessary.
• Contribute to the work of the SEN Team in respect of specific projects related to special educational needs provision and policy development.
• Be involved in the development and implementation of the SEN team's objectives, as laid out in the SEN Service Plan.
• Act as Lead Officer or support the Lead Officer in the development and implementation of strategic objectives to improve service delivery.
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge relating to SEN legislation, policies, and practice.

Knowledge/Experience required:

• Specialist and detailed knowledge and understanding of the Local Authority's statutory duties and other responsibilities for children with special educational needs.
• Awareness and understanding of, and commitment to, the LA's role as Corporate Parent. Knowledge of, and ability to develop services in line with, departmental and corporate policies. Clear awareness of budgetary constraints and procedures.
• Thorough understanding of customer care and equality issues.
• Good knowledge of administrative practice and procedures.
• Working knowledge of office IT packages.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and apply a complex range of legislation, policies, and statutory guidance.
• Possess an innovative approach to problem solving and the ability to devise creative cost-effective solutions.
• Ability to analyse and convey complex information in a clear manner.
• Ability to work accurately under pressure to strict legal time lines.

If you are interested in this role or want further discussion, please contact Lewis O'Donnell either via email: (url removed) or tel: (phone number removed). Alternatively, if you have any friend or colleagues that might be interested, please feel free to refer them as we a have a referral scheme in place of up to 250.