Candidates must be prepared to work in Winsford, the role is from 0830-1700 Monday to Thursday and 0830-1630 on Friday.

JOB PURPOSE:

The post holder will sit within the SEN Team in the Education Service of Children and Families Directorate. This role includes liaising with parents of children with special education needs, SEN Advisory Officers, health and social care professionals, educational psychologists, specialist teachers and staff from schools and colleges including head teachers. This requires interpreting reports and advice and writing statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans that are high quality and fully compliant with the Children and Families Act.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1 - Interpret sensitive and complex information from-professional assessment relating to individual children with special educational needs, health needs and social care needs to draft EHC Plans, so that the plans are clear, easy to read, jargon free and well written. Information from the professional reports will need to describe the individual child or young person’s needs, and the provisions required to meet needs. All information in the final plan must be clearly evident in professional advice

2 - Write EHC Plans, or Notes in Lieu of a Plan, for checking prior to issue within strict statutory timescales and to a high standard that would meet legal requirements and satisfy external scrutiny

3 - Identify any gaps in the reports provided and any discrepancies in the assessment advice provided and liaise with SEN Advisory Officers to ensure statutory advices are received, complete and inform the plan

4 - Make effective use of SEN Database in managing the statutory assessment process for children and young people with special educational needs, ensuring that LA procedures are followed and all relevant data and information is recorded on the database

5 - The post holder will be required to enter information onto the SEN database to ensure that the Authority maintains an accurate record of all current cases. The information recorded will be confidential and sensitive and must not be disclosed to unauthorized persons. The database is used for casework scheduling, document storage and long term educational planning, so accurate and complete data is essential. All data activities must be fully compliant with data protection law and council policies in managing sensitive and confidential data

6 - Under the guidance of the SEN Advisory Officers, respond to parental submissions regarding proposed EHC Plans, and to make amendments where appropriate but also to ensure that any revised wording does not inappropriately restrict options for provision and school placement

7 - Work closely with SEN Advisory Officers to assist with case work when required, including the scheduling and arranging of EHC plan coordinator meetings with parents and professionals

8 - Work proactively with children, young people, parents and professionals in relation to EHC plan progression through telephone and email contact ensuring parents and young people are kept up to date and involved in the plan writing process

9 - Respond to requests for personal budgets for elements of the EHC plan calculating the education part of the plan and liaising with health and care managers to secure agreement for health and care elements. Write personal budgets approved into plan and ensure payments initiated and recorded in line with agency protocols

10 - Prioritise workloads so plans are completed within statutory timescales

11 - Provide information for complex cases in preparation for SEN team response to formal mediation and first tier tribunal court appeals

Qualifications

Educated to the equivalent of degree standard, including English GCSE at Grade A-C – Essential

Qualified Teacher Status – Desirable

Experience

Significant experience of writing high quality complex but clear documents – Essential

Significant experience of using ICT systems and software including extensive keyboarding skills – Essential

Experience of working in education setting or services – Essential

Experience of working in an environment delivering high quality customer service – Desirable

Job Related Knowledge

Knowledge and understanding of special educational needs and disability – Essential

Practical Experience of SEND – Desirable

Skills and Aptitudes

Able to collate database systems – Essential

Able to use word processing and spreadsheet systems efficiently – Essential

Able to understand and apply complex statutory documents and explain these in response to stakeholder enquiries – Essential

Understand and apply policies in relation to personal budgets that are written into legal plan – Essential

Able to interpret a wide range of complex information from professional reports including medical and psychologist reports and summarise into a concise and informative plan – Essential

Able to interpret education attainment information and progression data and summarise into legal plan – Essential

Able to collate professional advices for pupil outcomes and write these into a cohesive plan ensuring education health and care outcomes are specific, measurable, achievable relevant and have a clear timeline – Essential

Able to response sensitively to telephone and written enquires

– Essential

Able to work under own initiative proactively work with families and professionals – Essential

Able to collate complex statistical and other information as required – Desirable

Other Requirements

Enhanced DBS – Essential

Able to prioritise workloads and work within strict time constraints.

– Essential

Able to work as part of a team but often without direct supervision using own initiative – Essential

Competencies

Customer First 2

Best Practice 2

Value For Money 2

Leadership 2

INDSEM.