SEND Operations Coordinator

SEND Operations Coordinator

Fixed Term, Full Time - 37 hours per week

Up to £32,545 Per Annum

Location: Countywide

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Please note that this is a fixed term contract / secondment opportunity for a period of 24 months.

The Role

Essex County Council (ECC) is seeking individuals to join our SEND Operations Team across three of our quadrant locations:

South (Basildon and surrounding areas)West (Harlow and surrounding areas)North (Colchester and surrounding areas) Essex County Council is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We're immensely proud of our flexible working options. The Opportunity 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 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (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. The SEND Operations Co-ordinator administers the Education Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and coordinates school placement requests for children moving into Essex with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Educated to RQF level 3 or equivalent by experience, with a thorough knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and experience of working with young people with SEND. Accountabilities Coordinate the EHCNA and EHCP review processes, efficiently and effectively, in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and Essex local authority (LA) procedures. Ensuring all legal documents produced are of a sufficiently high quality to reduce the risk of legal challenge within Tribunal and High Court arenas. Act as the LA representative at formal and informal dispute resolution meetings relating to requests for EHC needs assessments. Maintain existing EHCPs to ensure compliance with statutory processes and continued delivery of special educational provision in accordance with CYP's EHCPs. Taking account of Annual Review attendees to appropriately prioritise work and attend priority Annual Reviews were necessary. Act as a single point of contact for families and partners during the EHCNA providing advice and information throughout the assessment. Ensure children, young people and their families are fully involved in the EHCNA and/or review process. Responsible for requesting and collating required statutory advice, advising on statutory process and timelines. Receive and interpret reports and advice, to draft and amend EHCPs which are accessible, and outcome focused and of sufficiently high quality to reduce the risk of legal challenge and comply with the requirements of the legislation and SEND Code of Practice. Identify indicative budgets for the Operations Lead. Responsible for organising, chairing, and preparing paperwork for Statutory Annual Review Meetings for home educated children, ensuring that the young person and their family and relevant professionals are fully included. Responsible for ensuring data is accurately recorded, in a timely manner to enable the Council to report to stakeholders on a range of subjects including statutory timescales, out-of-authority placements and Children and Young People with alternative education offers. The data will also be used to monitoring and track pupil records. Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework. The Experience You Will Bring Educated to RQF level 3 (A level) as a minimum, or equivalent by experience.Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.Knowledge or experience of working with young people with special educational needs and disabilities and with their families including families that services find hard to reach.Thorough working knowledge of SEND Code of Practice 2015 and the Children and Families Act 2014.Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with a varied audience including professionals and parents/carers who may have additional needs.Effective time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage own workload and adapt quickly and effectively to changing circumstances/situations.Ability to chair meetings and liaise with other professionals within education, Health and Social Care. To read more about us please visit: Education Successful applicants will be invited to attend an in person interview at County Hall Chelmsford early August 2024. Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means. 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. 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 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 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page. Downloads Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working | About Us | Organisation Behaviours

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