Head of Service – SEND Sufficiency and Service Improvement

Head of Service – SEND Sufficiency and Service Improvement

Location: Aylesbury

Do you have the strategic vision and leadership skills to drive improvement and sufficiency in SEND services?

We are seeking a Head of Service – SEND Sufficiency and Service Improvement to lead transformative change, ensuring that every child and young person with SEND can access the provision that best meets their needs.

To work systemically in transforming SEND services to achieve lasting and improved outcomes for children and young people and delivering service improvements at pace.

About us

At Buckinghamshire Council, our Children’s Services team is dedicated to providing high-quality education and support to children and young people with SEND. Our service area includes the development and implementation of strategies to ensure sufficiency of places and services, compliance with statutory requirements, and continuous improvement in service quality. We work closely with parents, carers, education providers, health services, and other stakeholders to create a positive impact across the SEND system.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

In this role, you will be at the forefront of driving service improvements and ensuring the sufficiency of SEND places and services. You will work closely with multi-agency partners, parents, carers, and young people to shape and enhance SEND services. Your strategic vision and operational expertise will be key in implementing the SEND strategy and delivery plan, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Day-to-day tasks will include:

1. Leading the strategic planning, commissioning, and delivery of SEND provision.
2. Implementing the SEND strategy and driving service improvements across the council.
3. Ensuring compliance with statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice (2014).
4. Collaborating with stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families.
5. Managing and supporting a team of SEND professionals.

For more detailed information on the role, please refer to the attached job summary.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced leader who is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in managing a service or professional expertise area in a large public sector organization. You will need to have a deep understanding of SEND legislation, funding frameworks, and local authority responsibilities. Strong leadership, project management, and organizational skills are essential, along with excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

1. A degree or equivalent in education, social care, or a related field.
2. A professional qualification in SEND or leadership and management is desirable.
3. A commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
4. The ability to think innovatively and conceptually, delivering against strategic goals and operational targets.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

Annual Salary: Up to £87,675

Full-time, 37 hours per week.

Closing date: 23:59 Sunday 9 th February 2025

Interview dates: 14th February 13:00-17:00

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

1. All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
2. All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

1. a fair and inclusive culture
2. the chance to really make a difference to those around you
3. health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
4. a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
5. ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
6. opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people – so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.

Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.

We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.

We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserve recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

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