Senior Professional SEN Casework Officer - 6 Months Fixed Term

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow has a new opening for a Senior Professional SEN Casework Officer to join our SEN Assessment and Review Service.

The post holder will support the Team Manager in effective operation of the Local Authority’s duties and responsibilities in relation to children and young people from 0 – 25 years of age with special educational needs and disabilities within the framework of the Education Act 1996, the Children and Families Act 2014, the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2015, and related legislation and guidance.

As a Senior Professional SEN Casework Officer, you will directly line manage the SEN casework officers, with oversight of the quality and timeliness of education, health and care plans (EHCP) and annual review processes. Furthermore, you will also oversee complex cases and lead on cases requiring conflict resolution and mediation.

You will have decision making responsibility on the distribution of resources to support children and young people with education, health and care plans, including the delegation of funding to Harrow schools through the EHCP plans, in addition to co-ordinating and presenting cases to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

The successful candidate will have:

• Knowledge of legislation and legal frameworks for disability, health and social care relating to special educational needs, local authority responsibilities and an understanding of how to implement statutory duties in a multi-disciplinary context.
• Familiarity with the funding arrangements that relate to special educational needs provision.
• Experience of working in an SEN service and/or education field, working to support children/young people and their families to achieve their outcomes
• High level written and verbal communication skills, including formal presentations.
• Proven skills in negotiation, influencing, leading and managing people within a multi-professional/agency context.
• A degree or professional qualification or relevant training in the area of SEN.
• The ability to travel for business purposes when required.

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn