Job Description
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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. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost effective and impactful way.
We are looking for four SEND Inclusion Partners to join us from September 2020.
The Inclusion Partner will work in partnership with schools, settings, college leaders and partnerships to drive practice both in individual and clusters of schools and settings supporting them to be inclusive and deliver improved outcomes for CYP with SEND. Building capacity for schools to assess, plan and deliver provision for children with SEND and implement the inclusion statement and SEND Code of Practice 2015.
The role requires substantial experience working with children with special educational needs, qualified teacher status or equivalent. The ability to build strong working relationships and influence senior leaders both internally and externally is key to success.
Service/Functional Accountabilities
Accountable as the link Inclusion Partner for specific schools, settings, colleges or partnerships, to review, assess and improve practice and consult on the development of One-Planning, Education, Health and Care needs assessments (EHCNA) and the annual review processes, with the intention to improve outcomes for CYP with SEND.
Responsible for providing high quality professional education advice and support to individual/clusters of schools, settings and colleges, to deliver an inclusive education for children and young people with a specific area of SEND. i.e. pre-school and reception, Autism, language and communication, emotional well-being and mental health and/or cognition and learning.
Responsible for supporting the delivery of school/setting led SEND, including peer to peer development, within clusters of schools and settings and dissemination of up-to-date specialist knowledge in an area/s of SEND. Evaluating the impact of initiatives to learn from both success and understand setbacks.
Work strategically with schools, settings and colleges, influencing leaders to evaluate the existing offering and build capacity through coaching, training and development to assess, plan and deliver suitable provision for children with SEND; implement the inclusion statement and SEND Code of Practice.
Responsible for identifying and deploying targeted support within schools, settings, colleges and with families, to improve the inclusion and/or successful transition for children and young people with severe and complex SEND. Ensure maximum impact of interventions and the efficient and impactful use of resources through effective monitoring and evaluation.
Working in collaboration with internal and external partners, manage complex casework to maintain sustainability of placement, resolve breakdown and prevent exclusion, including responding to and resolving complaints.
Responsible for undertaking annual reviews of children and young people placed in out-of-authority independent special schools, to ensure placements are fit for purpose for Essex children, with a view to achieving positive outcomes and, wherever possible, supporting transition back to Essex settings.
Interviews will take place weeks commencing 9th and 16th March
Knowledge, skills and experience
Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree), with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant area of SEND, a master's degree in a specialist area is highly desirable.
Substantial, relevant teaching or Early Years' experience, with strong evidence of working with children with SEND.
Deep working knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and other relevant national legislation.
Experience of working in partnership with other services such as schools and settings, health and social care, enhanced provisions and the voluntary sector, with demonstrable ability to build strong collaborative, working relationships, which engender delivery and influence leadership.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to deliver training and development to a range of professionals.
Ability to drive cultural, strategic and operational change, in a collaborative way.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.
Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found on https://www.workingforessex.com/benefits
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.
If you have any queries regarding this role, or require anything further, please contact the Recruitment Team on 0333 013 5888.
To apply for this role please visit Essex County Council's recruitment website www.workingforessex.com
Information about the School
Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda – one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We’re immensely proud of our flexible working options.