SEND Team Manager – Education

Interim SEND Team Manager – Education

Job Ref: Bournemouth 5257978

Pay Rate: £341.36 per day PAYE

Hours per week: 37 Monday - Friday, normal working hours

Role Length: This opening assignment is for 3 months

City: Bournemouth, Dorset

Candidates must be able to travel, using public or other forms of transport where they are viable, or by holding a valid UK driving licence with access to own or pool car. Enhanced DBS disclosure required for this role.

The purpose of the role is to manage a team to ensure the effective delivery of high-quality practice, which delivers positive outcomes for vulnerable children.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Lead the co-ordination and delivery of SEND statutory processes for BCP, ensuring compliance with regulations; tactical and strategic application of the regulations in order to secure outcomes compatible with the legal guidance and the council’s performance targets; robust decision making; rigorous analysis and synthesis of written information.
2. Work under the direction of the Head of SEND Assessment and Review and collaborate with other managers within the service, ensuring that statutory assessment processes and decisions on Education, Health and Care Plans support and promote inclusive education in BCP.
3. In the oversight and leadership of the EHC assessment process, apply rigorous decision making to avoid unnecessary EHC assessments. Through methodical planning and monitoring of casework, identify predictable risks to the potential to complete statutory processes on time.
4. Ensure that the statutory Annual Review process is effectively co-ordinated and monitored, within statutory timelines and in partnership with provider schools, settings, and organisations.
5. Lead, oversee, co-ordinate, and direct the work of other officers within the SEND Service ensuring high-quality work and compliance with approaches designed to achieve performance outcomes, including relationships with parents, schools, and other agencies.
6. With other SEND Managers, ensure a coherent approach to staff support, training, and development, working across individual areas of responsibility as required.
7. Establish systems so that officers within the teams make appropriate database entries to record activities as required, and ensure that data provided to performance and finance teams is accurate.
8. Ensure financial transactions are conducted appropriately, with accuracy and according to the Council's financial processes.
9. Ensure that the team operates within relevant current legislation and produces high levels of compliance, ensuring that good practice, policy, and procedures encompass the equality/diversity framework.

Qualifications:

1. Appropriate professional qualification (law/public administration/education/social care/health).
2. Degree Level or equivalent qualification.
3. Management qualification or commitment to undertake management training.
4. A qualification in SEND or evidence of significant and extensive experience.

Skills & Experience:

1. Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
2. Evidence of significant and extensive SEND experience.
3. Experience of supervising staff.
4. Detailed knowledge and understanding of relevant legislative and regulatory framework for SEND and Government initiatives relating to SEND, and working knowledge of related regulations (e.g. exclusions and admissions).
5. Detailed knowledge and understanding of mechanisms to support schools and other settings to meet the educational needs of children and young people with SEND.
6. Experience of applying thresholds and criteria equitably and transparently.
7. Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).