Locality Inclusion Network Lead

Salary: Soulbury 4-6 £48,818 to £51,694 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent, multiple positions

Working Pattern: Full time – 37 hours per week
Location: Multiple Locations across West Sussex

Interviews: 13th – 15th October 2026

An opportunity has arisen for you to join West Sussex County Council as a Locality Inclusion Network Lead

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to play a central role in shaping the future of SEND across West Sussex. As we deliver our ambitious SEND Reform and Transformation Programme, we are redesigning how support is provided to children, young people and families through our developing Experts at Hand (locality inclusion networks) model. This approach brings together expertise from across education, health and care to create a system that is proactive, preventative and rooted in strong relationships with children, young people and their families.

As a key member of the SEND & Inclusion Service, you will be at the forefront of driving meaningful change. Your work will directly influence how effectively we identify needs earlier, intervene sooner and ensure that children and young people receive the right support at the right time. Through your leadership, expertise and collaboration, you will help create the conditions for children and young people to thrive, achieve their potential and experience greater inclusion within their local communities.

Working within a locally coordinated, multi-agency model, you will collaborate with professionals from across education, health and care to strengthen early intervention, build capacity within mainstream schools and settings, and improve access to specialist support where it is needed most. Your contribution will be critical in helping schools and practitioners develop the confidence, skills and knowledge required to meet a wide range of needs effectively.

This is more than a role within a service. It is an opportunity to be part of a fundamental shift in how SEND support is delivered across West Sussex. You will help shape a more inclusive, sustainable and responsive system, ensuring that every decision we make is focused on improving outcomes, reducing barriers and enabling children and young people to lead fulfilling and successful lives.

If you are passionate about inclusion, committed to improving outcomes and motivated by the opportunity to lead transformational change, we would love to hear from you.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to play a key role in delivering SEND reform and shaping the future of inclusive education across West Sussex. Working within designated localities, you will collaborate with schools, SENDCOs, Inclusion Leads and wider partners to develop sustainable solutions that strengthen inclusion, build capacity and reduce reliance on specialist and statutory support. By fostering shared accountability and partnership working, you will help ensure children and young people with SEND can access high-quality support and provision within their local communities wherever possible.

As part of West Sussex County Council's commitment to creating a more inclusive education system, you will support the development of the locality offer by identifying emerging needs, coordinating professional learning and promoting effective practice across education settings. Using data, insight and stakeholder feedback to inform your approach, you will help deliver responsive, evidence-based support that aligns with local priorities and national reforms. Through strong professional networks and collaborative working, you will empower schools to enhance inclusive practice, build workforce confidence and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Your Key Focus Areas:

Build strong partnerships with schools, early years settings, colleges and wider stakeholders to drive inclusive practice and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Acting as a key link between education settings and the Local Authority, you will facilitate collaboration, share effective practice and support innovative, locality-based solutions.

Using data, insight and stakeholder feedback, you will identify emerging needs, inform planning and support evidence-based decision-making. You will also coordinate professional learning, develop SEND and Inclusion networks, and help build workforce confidence and capacity to deliver SEND reform and meet the needs of more children and young people within their local communities.

What you will bring to the role:

You'll be a skilled relationship-builder with the confidence to influence, collaborate and bring partners together around a shared vision for inclusion. Highly organised and resilient, you'll be able to balance competing priorities while maintaining a clear focus on achieving positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

You'll combine strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to facilitate collaboration, build professional networks and drive continuous improvement. Most importantly, you'll be passionate about inclusion and committed to empowering schools and partners to create lasting, meaningful change.

To be successful in this role you will have:

Knowledge and Experience:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification.
• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) or equivalent SEND qualification. Desirable
• Significant experience of supporting children and young people with SEND.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of SEND and inclusive practice.
• Experience of using data and intelligence to inform planning, decision-making and improvement activity.
• Experience of leading, facilitating or coordinating professional networks, projects or improvement initiatives.
• Experience of delivering training, advice or consultancy to education professionals.

Key Skills:

1. Demonstrable commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.
2. Ability to build effective professional relationships and influence practice.
3. Strong communication, presentation and facilitation skills.
4. Ability to analyse information and translate findings into improvement actions.
5. Ability to work independently while managing competing priorities.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About Us and What We Offer You

Here at West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce. We are committed to improving our services for the children and families in West Sussex we support. You will join us as at a key time on our improvement journey.

We don’t underestimate the work that still needs to be undertaken and the challenge ahead, we are confident in our approach and excited about the changes occurring. That’s why we need professionals, like you, who really want to be part of the positive change that is happening for children. Be part of an ambitious improvement plan and make a significant difference to children and families in West Sussex. There has never been a more rewarding time to join.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:

• an excellent local government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement of 31 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
• a range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
• maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• volunteering opportunities
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE06559.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Jo Hill (SEND Reform Implementation Lead (Interim)) at jo.hill@westsussex.gov.uk. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact kerry.joad@westsussex.gov.uk.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to QTS check, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact kerry.joad@westsussex.gov.uk

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.