SEND Information Advice Guidance Officer

Job Title: Information Advice Guidance Officer
Starting Salary: £55,582 progressing to £61,460 per annum
Hours: 37
Location: Countywide travel expected. Base: Farnham House / Apsley
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Children's Services

About the team

We are excited to share that we are expanding our team. We are seeking dynamic individuals, experienced in supporting young people with special educational needs, to join our team as SEND Information Advice and Guidance Officers. In this role you will lead a small team that acts as a bridge between services, schools, young people and families, providing support with the implementation of SEND strategies.

This is a county wide team that offers advice and support to develop good inclusive practice. Through the ASK SALI (SEND Advice Line for Inclusion) we are a point of contact for professionals to offer guidance, support and partnership work

We are pivotal in insuring partnership work across the county with professionals from education, health and social care.

We work in local areas, which enables us to build knowledge and connection in localities so that we have strong working relationships that ensure we keep the child and family at the centre of all we do.

We focus on inclusion and ensuring our children with SEND receive the right support and the right time and as early as possible.

About the role

We staff the ASK Sali (SEND Advice Line for Inclusion) phone line and offer support to schools and families to ensure they’re children have the right support at the right time. We are the link between services focusing on early intervention and good SEND practice.

In this role:

• You will manage a small team in one of the local areas and support that area in partnership with colleagues in education and from health and social care.
• You will coordinate the work requests for your team in the local area.
• You will carry out face to face meetings with settings.
• You will chair the SEND local Triage and have a depth of knowledge of the SEND practice and needs in your local area working in partnership with colleagues including the Developing Specialist Provision Locally Managers and SEND Leads.
• You will be a core member of the Experts at Hand Teams as we mobilise these across the County
• You will attend decision making panels and bring your depth of knowledge and expertise in SEND to the discussion informing robust decision making
• You will represent the service in a wide range of forums

About you

Essential:

• An extensive in-depth knowledge of SEND with a minimum of five years’ experience in SEND or within a setting e.g. school, nursery, college, care home
• Strong leadership skills and a solution focused approach to problem solving
• Exceptional skill in building and maintaining relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, instilling confidence and clarity so that interventions are effectively delivered
• Knowledge and experience of inclusive strategies, reasonable adjustment, and child development
• Knowledge of law and procedures governing EHCP provision including the Children and Families Act 2014, SEN Code of Practice 2014 and the Equalities Act 2010
• Excellent organisation skills including an ability to work unsupervised, systematically and an ability to manage constraints and conflicting demands and work to tight deadlines
• Excellent customer service skills using verbal and written communication methods
• Confident in the use of data and wider intelligence, using these to help shape the development of the service and drive improvement
• Excellent IT skills including the ability to compile reports, analyse data and ensure the respective database is used to plan and monitor to meet deadlines
• An ability to manage a budget and work within financial constraints

Desirable

• A creative thinker who can support settings develop good inclusive practice
• Passionate about supporting and encouraging our young people with SEND to reach their full potential, including living independently where possible
• Commitment to working with a strengths-based approach and being solution-focused
• Strong communication skills, demonstrating empathy, curiosity and relationship-based practice
• Ability to have reflective conversations
• Ability to build positive networks within schools, the Council, partner agencies and local communities
• Take a proactive approach and support the team’s learning and insights. Sharing learning with SENCOs and colleagues

This is a role that enables you to use your creative skills to make a difference and be part of the SEND Reforms as we shape services. The flexibility of hybrid working gives you the opportunity to work from home, the office or in settings. There are a wide range of opportunities for professional development and opportunities to implement new approaches and expand your knowledge and experience in SEND

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 13. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Community services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Sally Glossop (Sally.Glossop@hertfordshire.gov.uk).

Interview Date: 26th and 27th November 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), creating a unique opportunity to help shape the future of local services. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.