Tribunal Officer

**Tribunal Officer**:
**Partner Organisation** 1
Cognus

**Location(s)** 1
Sutton

**Contract Type** 1
Permanent

**Working Hours** 1
Full Time

**Salary** 1
£47,438.22

**Application Deadline**

19/05/2024, 23:55

**Anticipated Interview Dates** 1
Friday 24th May

**Role Details** 1

**Tribunal Officer**

**Main Working Location: Cantium House, Wallington, Sutton Salary: £47,438.22 (Cognus Band 4)**

**Permanent/Full time: 37 Hours per Week**

The term ‘Special Educational Needs’ (SEN) has a legal definition. Young people with special educational needs have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most others of the same age. These children and young people may need additional learning support from that given to others of the same age. For those children and young people with a higher complexity of needs, requiring high levels of special educational provision, the Local Authority (LA) will support them through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The role of the Tribunal Officer is to coordinate and collate information to support the Local Authority (LA) in a timely and high-quality way where there is a dispute about the identification of special educational needs, support arrangements or placements and ensuring all professionals required to provide evidence as part of the appeal comply in a timely way. The role will also involve attending resolution meetings with parents and other professionals in an attempt to settle the disputed issues without the need for formal legal redress wherever possible. This exciting professional development opportunity will include a responsibility for negotiating changes to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Where such approaches do not lead to resolution within a supportive framework, you will need to represent the Local Authority at the First Tier Tribunal hearings (also known as Special Educational Needs & Disability Tribunal) to present the Local Authority’s case and defend the appropriateness of the proposed service provision/decision for an individual child.

Much of this role will be working from detailed reports about the young person’s special needs and collating evidence to support or amend proposed service provision for individual young people.

In addition, this role entails acting as the SEND Service respondee to Complaints and Judicial Reviews, including pre action protocol letters, and some Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, as well entering formal mediation as the Local Authority representative.

We are looking for a good negotiator with outstanding written and verbal communication skills and a strong eye for accuracy and detail. As well as an ability to be organised, use your own initiative and work to tight statutory deadlines, you need to be flexible in approach and have good general ICT skills. Experience of legal or tribunal processes and working within the field of and/or an understanding of special educational needs legislation in relation to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Management skills as will be managing the Tribunal team.

Cognus Limited is about education. We believe there is no limit to learning and that learning is lifelong. Since our creation in November 2016, we exist to support schools, families, children and young people to access education and enjoy learning. Every child matters to us and we believe that access to education and learning is every child’s fundamental right. We foresee every child and young person to achieve their full potential through education leading them to be our future leaders, professionals and economically active global citizens. Our children and young people are our future and we believe that every child is worth fighting for regardless of their abilities, disabilities, colour, creed, race, religion or ethnic origin.

You will give us great commitment and in return we offer an excellent package including:

- Starting salary of £47,438.22
- Workplace pension scheme 4% to 8% matched contributions
- 28 days annual leave pro rata (plus Bank Holidays)
- Regular manager support and supervision
- Hybrid and Flexible working
- Staff benefits package, currently including Employee Assistance Programme,
- Perkbox and (upon completion of probation) Sovereign Healthcare Cashback plans
- Staff Council, Staff EDI group and Mental Health First Aiders to support
- wellbeing and inclusion
- Cognus Coaching Programmes
- An ambitious culture with friendly and supportive colleagues
- tray exercise 30 minutes before the interview.