Specialist Education, Health and Care Practitioner

Overview

We are looking for a talented, experienced SEN practitioner to join our Integrated SEN Service in this new and exciting role. You will manage and progress complex high-risk cases, ensuring the co-ordination and integration of all necessary resources and organisations to secure educational placements and provide ongoing support to identified children and young people.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Manage 30-50 complex cases with a focus on ensuring timely provision for young people not currently accessing provision, not having needs met by local provision or needing to return to local provision. 
• Act as the professional lead in the integration and co-ordination of activities to support the delivery of service in partnerships, which meet all legislative requirements as detailed in the SEN Code of Practice
• Comply with statutory regulations in the preparation and review of Education, Health & Care Plans (EHC Plans) in accordance with the Children & Families Act 2014
• Work directly with children and young people and their families in identifying suitable education, including visiting settings and families’ home
• Formulate effective educational action plans and ensure service delivery
• Prepare and distribute/ presenting a full range of reports (both standard and non-standard) in area of expertise.
• Identify and make innovative recommendations to additional service requirements and opportunities to establish new ways of working, meeting stakeholder requirements and improvement targets.
• Lead initiatives to improve service performance whilst ensuring value for money and best practice.
• Chair meetings of internal / external partners and other agencies to manage complex cases. 
• Undertake duties deemed appropriate by the Area Team Manager and the iSEND Service management team.

On-the-go:

Our ‘on-the-go’ roles mean you’ll usually start and finish your day from a base, moving around between different locations throughout the day. You won’t need a fixed desk to work from, but you’ll have access to our network where you can keep up to date with admin and the latest staff updates.

About you

You will have the skills to support the leadership of a fast paced and committed Integrated SEND Service, utilising your expert technical/professional knowledge and experience. 

You will:

• Have a sound knowledge of the statutory processes as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and the Children and Families Act (2014) and the Equality Act (2010)
• Have specialist knowledge of SEND/ Preparing for Adulthood (Pfa) providers
• Have frontline experience working with young people with SEN / in SEN/PFA services
• Have strong interpersonal skills.
• Be able to problem solve
• Have excellent presentation and communication skills
• Have good record keeping, planning and organisational skills
• Be resilient, organised, and hardworking.

Other information

For more information about the role, please contact Danielle Whelan at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 6th July

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

 

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people - so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.

Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.

We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.

We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/