Please send your CV and a covering letter showing how you meet the following criteria:
Key Responsibilities:
1. Advocacy and Support for Families:
* Advocate for children and young people with vision impairments to ensure access to appropriate educational support and resources in mainstream and specialist schools and colleges.
* Provide families with guidance on their rights under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015, helping them understand the processes and services available.
* Assist parents and carers in understanding their child’s Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) ensuring it accurately reflects the child's needs.
* Be a single point of regular and consistent contact for the child or young person and their parents/carers supporting them at multi-agency meetings.
* Support all aspects of an EHCP; Annual Reviews, Phase Transfers and day to day problem solving.
* Provide information and signposting where necessary.
* Provide emotional and practical support as required as part of a trusting relationship; and
* Empower the child/young person and their families to make decisions and where appropriate to make effective use of a personal budget.
2. SEND Tribunal Support:
* Provide practical and emotional support to families involved in First Tier SEND Tribunals, offering guidance on how to present their case effectively.
* Ensure high quality preparation and follow up of client cases for SEN Tribunals and ensure that any directions/actions are completed within the time frames set.
* Collate evidence, ensuring all necessary documentation is complete and submitted in a timely manner.
* Attend tribunal hearings to offer advocacy and representation where appropriate, and assisting with post-tribunal follow-up.
3. Partnership Working:
* Liaise with schools, local authorities, and other stakeholders in a respectful, transparent and effective manner to ensure coordinated support for children with vision impairments.
* Work closely with medical professionals, vision impairment specialists, and social workers to ensure comprehensive support is provided for the child's educational and personal development needs.
* Build strong relationships with local and national vision impairment organisations to promote collaboration and share best practices, such as the Educational Advocacy Forum.
4. Case Management:
* Manage a caseload of approximately 20 clients, ensuring regular communication and timely interventions.
* Using our case management system, maintain accurate records of casework, including meetings, correspondence, and tribunal outcomes, adhering to data protection and confidentiality policies.
* Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy interventions, adjusting strategies as needed to ensure the best outcomes for clients.
* Where outcomes are not achieved, follow up with relevant services where further support and intervention is required.
* Ensure all transitions between education and life phases are managed effectively and seamlessly within statutory deadlines.
5. Training and Awareness Raising:
* Deliver training and workshops on the rights of children with vision impairments and how to navigate the SEND system effectively.
6. Policy and Research:
* Stay informed on changes in legislation and policy affecting SEND and vision impairments, sharing updates with families and colleagues as needed.
* Contribute to policy consultations and research initiatives that aim to improve services for children with vision impairments.
7. Other:
Assist beyond the remit of your individual role, whenever requested to do so, to meet charity objectives to deliver the best service to our clients.
Person Specification
Essential:
* A good knowledge of the Children & Families Act (2014); SEN Code of Practice 2015 and the tribunal process; Education Act 1996 and any subsequent revisions or new legislation is essential.
* Successful casework management experience within a SEND, education or other related Local Authority service is essential.
* Ability to be articulate, succinct and to understand essential detail from a large volume of information.
* Good interpersonal skills with the ability to support and empower families through complex legal and educational processes.
* Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing demands and meet deadlines within timescales.
* Empathy, patience, and the ability to provide emotional support to families in stressful situations.
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to provide clear, concise and effective written and verbal communication.
* Negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
* Sound judgement and analytical skills leading to effective service delivery.
* The ability to gather, understand and use data to make informed and effective decisions in relevant service areas.
* Experience of, or the ability to gain skills in developing and delivering training to parents, carers and partner agencies.
Desirable:
* An understanding of the changing national agenda for schools and an ability to interpret the impact of this on casework.
* A good understanding of Preparation for Adulthood and Post 16 pathways.
* Experience working with children who have vision impairments, and/or with vision impairment specialists and other multi-disciplinary teams.
* Experience of representing or supporting families at SEND tribunals or similar legal settings.
Qualifications:
* Degree or equivalent experience is essential.
* Training in advocacy, SEND law, or vision impairment is highly desirable.
Salary details: £28,000 per annum working 28 hours per week or £35,000 per annum working 35 hours per week.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Pay: £28,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Expected hours: 28 – 35 per week
Benefits:
* Additional leave
* Free parking
* Health & wellbeing programme
Schedule:
* Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 15/10/2024
Expected start date: 02/01/2025
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