SEND Operations Assistant
Permanent, Part Time
Up to £25,679 per annum Full Time Equivalent
Location: Basildon
Working Style: Fixed-base worker
Interviews: 10th February
Please note this is a part time opportunity working 22 hours per week with a pro rata salary of up to £15,268 per annum.
This is an exciting opportunity to support our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Operations team. 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.
These roles will form part of Essex County Council's (ECC) unique response to the additional demand and provide additional capacity in the team to deliver ECC's statutory duties and meet timescales.
Job Purpose and Accountabilities
* The SEND Operations Assistant provides administration and support to deliver ECC's statutory duties for SEN assessment, monitoring and review.
* The postholder is responsible for the following:
* Maintaining a specified allocation of children and young people (CYP) with existing Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), including carrying out all statutory processes relevant to each child and young person and their EHCP (annual review, amendment to EHCP, cease EHCP), ensuring statutory timescales are met.
* Coordinating and securing school placements for CYP at points of transition and liaising with relevant internal and external partners. Ensuring ECC's Admissions Team are advised of decisions and coordinating amendments of the EHCP following change of placement.
* Recognising issues around individual CYP (attendance, safeguarding, lack of progress) and alerting senior managers, recommending and/or seeking advice on next steps.
* Preparing and presenting information relating to the EHCPs for submission to decision-making panels and undertaking any follow-up work identified by the panel meeting; sharing decisions with parents and partner agencies.
* Representing Essex SEND services as a frontline contact for parents/carers, CYP, schools, settings, and other partner agencies, recognising when issues need escalation and acting on safeguarding concerns.
* Liaising with other local authorities for CYP who have moved into or are leaving Essex, ensuring correct paperwork is received and actioned accordingly.
* Maintaining tracking systems for all students at the point of phase transfer each year and providing support to SEND Operations Partners and SEND Operations Coordinators to ensure compliance with statutory processes.
* Preparing a chronology/summary about individual CYPs to support ECC's response to priority work: Members Enquiries, Local Government Ombudsman Enquiries, Corporate Complaints and SEND Tribunals.
* Sending out the agreed final versions of EHCPs within the specified timescale.
* Organising and prioritising workload to manage a high volume of incoming work daily, alerting senior colleagues where statutory obligations are compromised.
The Experience You Will Bring
* Educated to RQF level 2 or equivalent by experience.
* Evidence of continuing professional development relating to the LA's statutory duty regarding CYP with SEND.
* Thorough working knowledge of SEND Code of Practice 2015.
* Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage positively in difficult conversations.
* Experience of working successfully as part of a busy team in a business support or administrative environment.
* Effective time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage workload under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances.
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, expecting all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you are interested in this role, please apply via the Working for Essex website.
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