The SEND Commissioning team are looking to recruit a full time permanent Commissioning Officer. You will join a friendly, hardworking and committed team with a passion to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people. With improvements to be made and increasing demand for services, we need additional capacity in the team to meet these challenges and to ensure children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and/or those who are at risk of exclusion are supported at the right time, and in the right place. This is a hybrid role, with an expectation of being available to work from the office / attend face to face meetings as required. Main Responsibilities You will : Collaborate with a wide range of partners, taking a whole-system approach to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Work through the SEND & Inclusion model to ensure children known to their local SEND & inclusion Hub are supported to have their needs met earlier. Enhance the support mainstream schools can access to meet the needs of children with SEND through an enhanced pre-statutory support pathway (before Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan), known as the Enhanced Assess Plan Do Review (EAPDR) Pathway. Focus on the SEND & Inclusion model and lead on how new developments will be achieved and manged through commissioning arrangements. In this role you will likely to have a focus on Speech and Language provision in Staffordshire, however there will be flexibility to work across a number of our priorities. The Ideal Candidate You will : be passionate about improving outcomes for children & young people with SEND; be well organised; be proactive; have great communication skills a be able to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders; including children, young people and their parents / carers. Ideally you should also have one of the below : experience in commissioning, with a strong understanding of commissioning processes and the ability to manage and lead commissioning projects. knowledge about the SEND landscape and the challenges faced by children and young people with SEND. We are very much looking forward to a new colleague joining the team Interviews will be held during the week commencing 24 th February 2025. Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferable skills, experiences, and qualifications so consider applying anyway or for an informal chat about the role please contact Ellie Brownridge, SEND Commissioning Manager, ellie.brownridgestaffordshire.gov.uk Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role. About Staffordshire County Council We are no ordinary county council: Our Values: The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire Our recruitment process: As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.