DSENDo Access

Salary

Soulbury 14-17 plus 3 SPA points £62,197 - £66,432 per annum

Package

Permanent, full-time, 36 hours per week

Job category/type

Education & Schools

Date posted

21/11/2025

Job reference

R0007140

About us at Hounslow

We'd love you to join us at the London Borough of Hounslow Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be.

We are an outstanding council, serving an outstanding borough. With brilliant, visionary leadership, a dynamic Cabinet and a can-do culture, we've built strong partnerships which have transformed how we serve one of London's most diverse boroughs. Hounslow is the world in one place and full of potential. We are stepping up for our residents like never before.

About our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We live by five core values: Lead with Heart, Do New, Pass on the Power, Harness the Mix and Be a Rock. All our work has equality, diversity and inclusion at its very heart, best articulated in "Harness the Mix". It's about breaking down barriers between our parts and people and unlocking the problem-solving power of our amazing mix of minds. We serve a diverse community, we have a diverse workforce and we are committed to being an inclusive employer.

We work hard to create representation across our workforce and leadership community, we have thriving employee network groups and our learning and development programmes help us lead, model and breathe ways of working that eliminate inequality, inequity, injustice and bias.

As part of this and under our commitments as a Disability Confident Employer, we make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. There's space for you to tell us what you need within our application form.

Our Benefits

If you join us, you'll have access to a range of employee benefits. Read more about these here.

About The Role

There are some exciting opportunities to be part of the leadership team within the Access, Inclusion and Participation pillar in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Designated SEND Officer (DSENDo – Access and Progression)

As the DSENDo you will lead our motivated Learning Support and Assessment Team and drive operational and strategic improvements in our statutory assessment and review teams. Reporting to the Service Manager – Learning Support and Assessment, you will:

• Maintain strong partnerships with settings, schools, social care, and post-16 providers, where our children and young people with an EHCP are placed.

• Lead the day-to-day operational management of the local authority's Learning Support and Assessment (SEND) Team, ensuring timely, compliant and high-quality of statutory functions under the Children and Families Act 2014.

• Supervise and support Team Leads and case officers providing professional guidance, workload management, and performance oversight, ensuring all EHCPs and related processes meet legal requirements, national guidance and local quality standards.

• Ensure effective systems for case management, decision-making, and workflow prioritisation across Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments, plans, and reviews.

• Monitor and report on team performance, outcomes, and statutory timescales, implementing improvements where needed.

• Represent the service at multi-agency panels, strategic meetings, and partnership forums, ensuring alignment with local inclusion priorities.

• Identify training needs and contribute to workforce development to ensure the service is skills, resilient and fit for purpose.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of SEND strategies, policies, and service improvement plans.

• Support the Service Manager - Learning Support and Assessment and Head of Service in delivering transformation priorities, service redesign, and compliance with inspection frameworks (e.g. Ofsted/CQC).

If you're a collaborative and knowledgeable SEND professional, with a passion for inclusive practice and system improvement, we'd love to hear from you

About The Team You Will Be Working In

The Lifelong Learning, Skills & Employment division provides a range of statutory and community services, regulated and non-regulated.

Our vision is for a thriving community where all our residents can engage in and benefit from lifelong learning opportunities - for personal growth, health and wellbeing and economic success.

The division, which sits within the Children's & Adults Services Department, is organised into four operational service areas, each led by a Head of Services, and each contributing to achievement of the Borough's 'limitless' Lifelong Learning Strategy.

As a DSENDo for Access and Progression within the Access, Inclusion and Participation pillar, you will be a member of our extended Hounslow Leadership Team who play a key role in delivering high-quality, resident-focused services.

You will provide expert guidance, support, and leadership across Hounslow to set high standards for practice and service delivery, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards. You will be required to work in a proactive and collaborative way with other Council services and partners to provide expertise to support the effective delivery of service for residents.

Through collaboration with your senior team, and other leaders and stakeholders, you will advise on best practice and offer strategic insights to support the efficient and effective delivery of services, and the development and implementation of critical initiatives. Your role involves training and mentoring staff in your area of expertise and succession planning for roles which require similar levels of expertise.

You will also provide regular updates on outcomes to your Head of Service and Director, and as an effective senior team member, promote a positive, inclusive culture, championing staff development and continuous improvement.

The Access, Inclusion and Participation pillar includes our Statutory SEND (Learning Support and Assessment) function, Specialist Practice & Advice (including the Educational Psychology service), Education Inclusion and Participation function, and the Virtual School.

This role reports to the Service Manager – Learning Support and Assessment within Access, Inclusion and Participation.

About You

As a DSENDo, reporting to the Service Manager – Learning Support and Assessment, you will have:

• A degree level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.

• Evidence of continuous processional development in areas relevant to SEND, inclusion or leadership.

• In-depth knowledge of the Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice (2015), and related statutory guidance.

• Strong understanding of the statutory EHC needs assessment and review process, including legal responsibilities and timescales.

• Awareness of inclusive education practice and the roles of schools, health, and social care in supporting children with SEND.

If you're an innovative, collaborative and knowledgeable leader, with a passion for inclusive practice and system improvement, we'd love to hear from you.

Read more about the work you'll be doing in the Role Profile.

When Interviews Will Be Held and Who To Contact

The key information you need about the role should be in the job description, but if you have any further questions about the role, please contact:

Email:

Interviews for this job will be held during week commencing 5th January 2026.