SEN Casework Team Leader (PO6) in Leeds

As a SEN Casework Team Leader, you’ll play a vital leadership role in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You’ll lead a team of frontline SEN Casework Officers and use your expert knowledge to oversee Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments, plans and reviews.

This is a role for someone who thrives on complexity, problem-solving and partnership working. You will model high-quality practice, ensure consistency and fairness across decision making, and support your team to deliver a service that empowers families and champions the rights of children and young people.

You will work closely with settings, professionals and leaders across education, health and care to secure strong, holistic outcomes. You’ll bring clarity, compassion and confidence to complex situations and ensure our EHC plans are high quality, purposeful and reflect the lived experience of each child or young person.

You’ll be part of our Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision (SENSAP) service, whose purpose is to enable children and young people with complex SEND to access education with the right provision and support. Together, we fulfil the local authority’s duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Regulations 2014.

Leeds Children’s Services are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. We’re committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds — a city where children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up with voice and influence.

About you

• Substantial experience of SEND casework, including managing complex or contentious cases.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to coach, support and challenge staff to deliver excellent practice.
• Expert knowledge of EHC needs assessment, review processes, and SEND legislation.
• Confidence in interpreting statutory duties and applying them fairly and consistently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders and partner agencies.
• A reflective, restorative and solutions-focused approach.
• The ability to analyse complex information, make sound judgements and manage risk.
• Resilience, professional curiosity and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• The ability to travel across the city for meetings with families, schools and partners.

A relevant professional qualification (e.g. teaching, social work, youth work) or equivalent experience is required.

About the role

This role is integral to our Education, Health, and Care (EHC) casework team. We work closely with the wider SENSAP service to ensure young people with SEND can achieve their life aspirations.

In SENSAP we take a forward-thinking, innovative approach to our statutory duty, which is to delegate high needs funding, support inclusive SEND practice in education settings and manage education, health and care assessments and plans. We fully engage children, young people and families in key decision making to help them understand their options and we work together to find the educational placement that best meets an individual’s needs.

As a SEN Casework Team Leader, you will play a central role in the leadership of the SENSAP service, using your expertise to guide and support a team of casework officers in delivering high-quality EHC needs assessments, plans and reviews. You will oversee the consistency and quality of decision-making, ensuring that EHC plans are timely, purposeful and fully compliant with statutory requirements.

Your work will involve close collaboration with schools, system leaders and partners across education, health and care to resolve complex issues, champion inclusive practice and secure positive outcomes for children and young people.

As part of the SENSAP Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute to service development, policy implementation and ongoing performance improvement, as well as representing the service at internal, regional and national meetings. You will lead responses to complex complaints, Ombudsman enquiries and SEND Tribunal cases, providing clarity and authoritative judgement in challenging situations.

Through your leadership, you will model restorative, reflective and child-centred practice, helping to shape a consistent and resilient service that upholds the rights of children and young people and supports families with empathy, integrity and professionalism.

The EHC team oversee provision and admissions for children and young people who have an EHC plan, at all levels from nursery to school and post-16, in both mainstream and specialist settings.

What we offer you

• A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays.
• Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
• A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
• A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

How to apply

Please complete the online application form. Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Rhena Khan, SENSAP Lead – rhena.khan@leeds.gov.uk.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice and guidance on all aspects of EHC needs assessment and review, interpretation of the requirements set out in legislation and the duties and responsibilities of the local authority in respect of children and young people with SEN.
• Share responsibility for the interpretation of national strategy and local initiatives into protocols and practice at city-wide and locality service levels in respect of the local authority’s role and function in the assessment and monitoring of children and young people with SEN.
• Deputise for the Statutory Assessment and Provision Lead as necessary.
• Work on the ongoing design, implementation and construction of all electronic databases/systems/workflows to ensure they remain effective and fit for purpose as processes and legislation evolve.
• Work toward achievement of the key strategic goals of the council to improve outcomes for children with SEN, improve attendance, improve attainment and integrate Early Help, Social Care and Health into EHC Plans.
• Take overall responsibility for mapping out, leading and managing programmes of work related to the priorities of the service, including implementation and review of these programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues both within and beyond the immediate team to achieve required development outcomes to join up Education, Health and Care services and systems.
• Provide reports and updates to the Children and Families leadership team and relevant governance bodies as required.
• Ensure that any concerns regarding a setting’s continuing ability to meet the young persons’ needs are responded to efficiently and effectively following council policy.
• Provide high quality support and reasonable challenge to schools and educational settings where necessary in order to secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
• Represent SENSAP at key internal and external meetings in relation to children and young people with SEND and EHC plans.
• Ensure due diligence responsibilities are undertaken in relation to the spending, monitoring and review of public finances, in line with council policy.
• Attendance and contribution to key working groups across the directorate to support operational and strategic priorities regarding wider aspects of the inclusion of vulnerable children and young people in education.
• Oversee the quality assurance of EHC plans and decision making in line with council policy.
• Lead on the engagement in regular consultation with parents, families and professionals to provide feedback on the effective delivery of the service and to implement any identified changes.
• Lead all aspects of people management for a team of named officers, supporting a climate of high performance, shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement.
• Provide members of the SENSAP Service and colleagues from across Children’s Services with detailed and specific advice, support and guidance in any aspect of the EHC needs assessment and review processes to ensure that children and young people are treated consistently, fairly and in compliance with statutory guidelines and identified best practice.
• Contribute as a member of the SENSAP Senior Leadership Team to the monitoring and development of the work of the Service, including performance management, coaching, mentoring and training of staff, quality assurance processes, the creation and implementation of Service policy and procedures.
• Hold overall management responsibility for the direct work of frontline officers and to work in partnership with linked operational teams (e.g. transport, business admin) where appropriate.
• Represent the directorate at relevant meetings, including with Elected Members.
• Scrutinise and assure the consistency and fairness of decisions in the context of the requirements of the SEND legislation, local policy and practice and the strategic priorities of Leeds City Council’s Children & Families Directorate.
• Lead the preparation of cases that are registered with the Tribunal Service, reviewing cases, supporting officers and representing Leeds City Council in high profile and high risk cases.
• Protecting the Council against incurring unreasonable expenditure and risk to its reputation for championing the rights of children and young people and making excellent provision to meet need.
• Represent the SENSAP Service and Chair (where appropriate) at regional and national meetings and ensure the benefits of the sharing of knowledge and experience support improvements to the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of work completed by SENSAP.
• Support SENSAP staff and colleagues from Children’s Services at meetings with school staff and professionals from services that form part of the team that includes the child in circumstances where issues are complex, contentious or require depth of knowledge of the local authority’s statutory duties.
• Monitor and report the performance of the SENSAP Service in reaching the targets for the production of EHC plans within the prescribed timescales, including liaison with advice providers in relation to the timeliness and specificity of advice about the needs of children and young people.
• Maintain records of advice and guidance issued by the Department for Education, and providers of legal advice to local authorities ensuring that this is disseminated as necessary, embedded into SENSAP policy and procedures including the monitoring and reporting of compliance if required.
• Lead on the response to complaints received from children’s advocates, parents/carers, school staff and the Ombudsman, where necessary completing case file audit and review, seeking and gathering information, consulting with colleagues including obtaining very specific legal advice in order to provide authoritative, well founded and balanced responses that serve the best interests of the Children & Families Directorate.
• To contribute as a member of the SENSAP Senior Leadership Team to ensure that the work that the Service is responsible for is shared as consistently and fairly as possible in response to varying work flows and staffing levels.
• Design, implement and deliver high quality, engaging training and development for colleagues within and external to SENSAP.
• To ensure that the rights of children and young people are paramount in all decisions, policies, procedures and guidelines created for use by the SENSAP Service. This includes ensuring that the views of children and young people are sought and fully considered.
• Assist in the upkeep of individual children and young people’s records and data systems, and to provide data and information to support core work of the service as required.
• Maintain the highest personal standards through participating in continuing professional development.
• Undertake reviews of your performance against set outcomes.
• Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time by the senior leadership team.
• Comply with the requirements of all Leeds City Council policies, procedures and staff instructions, including responsibilities under the Health and Safety Policy and Procedures.
• Actively promote and support Leeds City Council's Policies on Equal Opportunities and to work in an anti-oppressive manner.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills:

• Experience of the line management of staff engaged in the delivery of a professional service.
• Ability to line-manage casework officers providing them with training, mentoring, challenge and support in order to support their delivery of a high calibre SEN Service.
• Substantial experience of the effective management of a challenging workload in the delivery of a service to children, young people or families to meet specific service standards and objectives.
• Expertise and experience of assessing, analysing and evaluating information in the context of the law relating to children and young people with special educational needs.
• High level written and verbal communication skills and the competencies required to successfully challenge and influence headteachers, colleagues and professionals in partner agencies.
• Proven ability to use interpersonal skills to build and maintain positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and partner organisations that lead to improved service delivery to children and young people evidenced in terms of better outcomes achieved by them.
• Ability to anticipate issues, plan solutions and make informed decisions by being creative, innovative and forward thinking.
• Ability to investigate complaints and produce reports and action plans based on a thorough and fair scrutiny of the case, an appreciation of what is ordinarily and reasonably expected and appropriate action to ameliorate weaknesses or gaps in service delivery.
• Evidence to demonstrate the ability to meet the full range of skills, competencies, knowledge and understanding specified in the job description for the post.
• Ability to coach, mentor and support staff utilising the principles of restorative practice and other approaches to develop the capacity and capability of staff within the service and the achievement of goals and targets set through supervision and appraisal processes.
• Ability to manage self and resources, to work independently and manage time effectively.
• Ability to manage incremental and fundamental change effectively. To respond flexibly to new ideas and promote change as a natural process within the LA and the wider social context.
• Ability to work restoratively and to use reflective learning as a means to continually improve practice and knowledge.
• Skills in delivering high quality, engaging training/development sessions for a range of audiences.
• Deliver sensitive messages in a constructive way. Present feedback with sensitivity, honesty and clarity. Deal effectively with conflict.
• Maintain the highest levels of mediation, negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills ensuring professional standards in managing and responding to complex issues are maintained.
• Use ICT and technology effectively.
• The ability to travel across the city to different schools and homes on a daily basis.

Knowledge:

• Substantial knowledge and understanding of policy and practice relating to the delivery of a local authority special educational needs service, including the preparation of cases to be heard by the SEN and Disability Tribunal Service.
• A thorough understanding of the developments that will take place in the special educational needs sector and the impact of these on children, young people, families and all agencies providing education, health and care services within the sector.
• Detailed knowledge of the range of educational provision made available to children and young people with special educational needs, including an appreciation of age expected levels of attainment and the rates of progress expected in the context of the nature and severity of a child or young person’s learning difficulty or disability.
• Knowledge and understanding of how data can be used to support improved outcomes for children and young people.
• Knowledge of the requirements of a line manager in a local authority context including the conduct of induction, appraisals, one to one supervision sessions and performance monitoring, to provide both support and challenge for staff delivering a front-line service to children, young people and families.
• A thorough understanding of policies and practices that keep children safe from harm.
• Evidence of continuous personal professional development.

Behavioural and other Characteristics required

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

It is desirable that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities:

Skills:

• Proven evidence track record of leading and developing change and Service improvement.

Knowledge:

• Experience of working in school or teaching qualification and degree or equivalent qualification.

Experience:

• Successful experience representing the local authority in SEND Tribunal hearings and in the preparation of evidence for consideration by the Local Government Ombudsman.