EHCP Case Officer in Shrewsbury

Job Summary

The post holder will maintain a caseload, set up and maintain positive and professional working relationships and work in partnership with families, education settings, health and social care, whilst ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. You will be responsible for administering statutory processes linked to the Education, Health and Care Plan legislation, including writing and amending EHCPs in accordance with The Children and Families Act 2014 and SEN Code of Practice January 2015 and locally agreed quality standards. You will provide comprehensive casework management and administrative support to ensure the effectiveness of the EHCP Team in accordance with the requirements of the Children’s & Families Act 2014 and the SEN Code of Practice 2015.

Responsibilities

• Report to a Senior EHCP Case Officer, who is responsible for your health and safety, training and development.
• Manage your own caseload and contribute to the development of the EHCP team in line with legislation and best practice.
• Lead and/or contribute to a range of projects and build relations with internal and external partners to achieve specified outcomes, without direct authority over those involved.
• Assist in the preparation of responses in line with Shropshire Council\’s corporate processes and statutory requirements (e.g. complaints, MP enquiries, information governance requests). Ensure responses meet the quality and timescale expectations set out in Council procedures.
• Complete all mandatory corporate and role‑specific training within expected timescales, as detailed in the corporate induction and Personal Development Plan.
• Undertake EHC casework functions for children and young people aged 0 to 25 under an EHC needs assessment or review of an EHCP.
• Serve as a single point of regular and consistent contact for the child / young person and their parents/carers during the education, health and care needs assessment process.
• Facilitate and attend multi‑agency meetings.
• Request and coordinate all statutory documentation, data and finance around the child and young person in relation to their EHCP and statutory processes.
• Support all aspects of an EHC Needs Assessment, Annual Reviews, Phase Transfers and day‑to‑day problem solving.
• Check the quality of information received through the EHC Needs assessment and the annual review processes, ensuring that the child/young person’s views and parents/carers’ views are clearly presented.
• Provide clear and effective communication regarding the statutory processes, signposting to the Local Offer as appropriate.
• Promote a multi‑agency partnership approach and enable the child and young person and their families to make decisions, and where appropriate make effective use of a personal budget.
• Write and amend Education, Health & Care Plans to conform to legal requirements, be clear and comprehensive, and meet statutory timescales and locally agreed quality standards.
• Participate in the Local Authority\’s processes for monitoring and quality assurance policies and procedures.
• Support the EHCP Team Manager and Senior EHCP Case Officers in achieving performance targets for completion of EHCPs within the statutory 20‑week timescale and completing the annual review process within statutory timescales.
• Champion the use of technology (such as the Synergy case management system) to record, track and monitor work, manage performance and inform business intelligence.
• Keep accurate data and case records and bring concerns to the attention of the Senior EHCP Case Officer.
• Ensure financial information is recorded clearly for monitoring purposes.
• Prepare EHCNA request paperwork for the weekly statutory Assessment Panel (SAP).
• Ensure that draft EHCPs and amended EHCPs are presented to the appropriate decision‑making panels to agree the allocation of resources in accordance with guidelines, including a personal budget where appropriate.
• Through the consultation process, identify and secure appropriate school placement for children and young people with an EHCP, focusing on accountability for outcomes.
• Attend annual review meetings as appropriate, act as the Local Authority representative, and provide support to parents/carers, education settings and partner agencies on all aspects of the annual review process. Complete the annual review process in accordance with legislation and timeframes, alerting the Senior EHCP Case Officer when schools/ settings are not complying with their statutory duties.
• Chair annual review meetings and coordinate the annual review process for children and young people with EHCPs who are electively home educated (EHE).
• Monitor the progress of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan, working with the Senior EHCP Case Officer to identify any concerns.
• Prepare high‑quality complaint responses, draft responses to MP enquiries, produce chronologies and case summaries for SEND Mediation and Tribunals, contribute to the LA case statement, and ensure that any directions / follow‑up actions are completed within defined timeframes.
• Become involved in a range of work to enable the service to respond effectively to the changing requirements of the Council and changes affecting the workforce.

Key Competencies & Expectations

• Adopt a customer‑focused approach to service delivery, ensuring engagement with service users and maintaining an appropriate personal profile.
• Act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire.
• Meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Personal Development Review Process and remain committed to continuous improvement.
• Work with colleagues to meet the team\’s key performance indicators and support a culture of teamwork, ensuring the team functions successfully in support of the Council\’s corporate and service objectives.
• Meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work.

Working Conditions

• Post is permanent, 37 hours per week.
• Primary workplace is Guildhall with a requirement to regularly work from home.
• Normal office hours are 7 am – 7 pm Monday – Friday and 8 am – 1 pm Saturday, with a minimum lunch break of 30 minutes. Occasional evening work may be required.
• Post is subject to the Council\’s annualised hours scheme as implemented within the specific work area.
• Eligible for the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Annual leave entitlement is 28 days plus bank holidays (32 days when 5 years’ service), with additional leave options for Christmas closures.
• Probationary period of six months with a one‑week notice period during probation; thereafter a two‑month notice period.
• Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, vehicles or Council places of work.