SEN Assessment Co-Ordinator in City of London

Overview

The Special Education Needs &/or Disability (SEND) Service is a statutory service providing support to children and young people with SEND who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We have over 4,000 EHC plans and a team of 22 SEN officers alongside 4 team-leaders across four teams: Statutory Needs Assessment, Pre-14 Review and Transfer, Post 14 Review & Transfer and Looked After & Vulnerable Children Team. The Service is looking to appoint an enthusiastic person to its Statutory Assessment Team. As pathfinders for the SEND Reforms, Enfield are passionate and ambitious about improving the outcomes of Children & Young People aged 0-25 in the borough with SEND. We are looking for somebody who shares our passion and ambitions to support the great work that we are doing, whilst working towards our vision of continuously improving the SEND Service.

You will need to have knowledge of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice and the Children and Families Act and be able to support parents/carers and young people on the opportunities that are available within the Local Offer. You will offer advice and support to parents, schools and other professionals on the statutory assessment process and attend co production meetings regularly. You will need to ensure that applications are processed in a timely manner, in line with guidance and actioned within statutory timeframes. SEND is a busy service so the ability to be able to work at a fast pace, together with personal resilience are extremely important as well as the ability to multi-task and prioritise workloads dependent on conflicting priorities. To be successful in this role, you will have to be pro-active and work as part of a team, and also have the confidence to work on your own initiative. Good communication skills and a high standard of written English are essential in order to be able to produce outstanding EHCPs that are succinct and of a high quality. Strong ICT knowledge and the ability to learn new case management systems are essential.

A SEN Caseworker qualification and previous experience of working within a statutory service is desired, though a track record of building good relationships and working in collaboration with all Partners to place the child at the centre of your practice is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice and support to parents, schools and other professionals on the statutory assessment process and attend co-production meetings regularly.
• Ensure applications are processed in a timely manner, in line with guidance and statutory timeframes.
• Work at a fast pace with personal resilience; multi-task and prioritise workloads according to conflicting priorities.
• Be proactive, work as part of a team, and have the confidence to work on your own initiative.
• Maintain high standards of written English to produce succinct, high-quality EHCPs.
• Demonstrate strong ICT knowledge and the ability to learn new case management systems.
• Build good relationships and collaborate with Partners to place the child at the centre of practice.

Qualifications

• SEN Caseworker qualification (desirable).
• Experience of working within a statutory service (desirable).

Additional Information

Flexible working hours are available subject to business needs. Core hours of the service are 9.30 to 15.30 Monday to Friday and Coordinators are expected to be available for work during these times. The ability to learn and work remotely and independently is vital. The position will have a blend of remote and office-based working.

Contact Details – If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Kerry Beldam on Kerry.beldam@enfield.gov.uk or 0208 132 2341 for an informal discussion.

Enfield’s Social Care Centre of Excellence confirms our commitment to creating and maintaining an environment for new and existing staff to be the best and deliver high quality social work to our most vulnerable children and young people. It brings our recruitment, professional development and support into the one portal for social care staff to see what we have to offer and how we are supporting them to continue to learn and develop on a professional basis. For more information please visit https://new.enfield.gov.uk/centreofexcellence/about-us/

“This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment”.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications have been received. Therefore, we advise that you complete fully and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We do not see your name or title when shortlisting your application. This is one of many initiatives to build a more talented and diverse workforce. However, if you put your name on your CV or Statement it will be visible to us. For this reason, we ask that you do not include your name on these documents. Please note it is your responses to the Essential/Desirable criteria, as detailed in the Job Description and Person Specification which is available on the job advert, that will determine if you are shortlisted for an interview, therefore we encourage you to always address the essential and desirable criteria in your application/CV.

Why it\'s great to work for Enfield Council

• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Up to 32 days annual leave depending on grade and length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year and an extra day off at Christmas.
• A blend of remote and office based working for most roles.
• Interest free season ticket loan repayable over three or ten months.
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods.
• Employee Assistance Programme to provide advice and counselling services. This is a free and confidential service available to staff and members of their family.
• Health and leisure discounts and tax-free bikes for work.
• 1 month\'s paid sabbatical for registered Social Workers working in Children\'s Social Care.

We are passionate about our people and how we deliver services to our community in Enfield. That’s why we encourage a culture that puts our customers at the heart of everything we do - by empowering our people to work together to find solutions, be open, honest and respectful, take responsibility and listen and learn. If you value these behaviours too, we’d love to hear from you - and of course we are always happy to talk flexible working, click here to find out more.

If you have previously applied for this role within the past 6 months, unfortunately, a second application will not be considered.