Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments Team Lead in Surrey

The starting salary for this full-time, permanent position is £53,713 per annum based on a 36-hour working week. We are excited to be recruiting a compassionate and knowledgeable Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNA) Team Lead to join our fantastic Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service based at Victoria Gate in Woking. This role is open to hybrid working. As a team, we split our time between working together in the office for a minimum of two days per week and working from home. We also aim for visits to schools and settings to take place on a regular basis as we continue to build on our collaborative working.

Our Offer to You:

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping

Join our SEND Service and make a real difference! If you are committed to collaboration, advocacy, and making things happen, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role:

At Surrey County Council, we are committed to ensuring that all children and young people with SEND receive an outstanding service, and we are well on our journey towards offering this. Our SEND and Inclusion Services work collaboratively in affecting timely and purposeful casework; ensuring the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. Relational and restorative working underpin all our practice with stakeholders, partners, clients and customers. Our young people want adults who listen, explain things honestly, and keep them at the centre of every decision. Parents and carers value empathy, strong organisational skills, and a deep understanding of SEND legislation and diverse needs. Schools need consistent, accessible professionals who are experts in SEND and can guide them through the system with clarity and confidence.

Day to day, the EHCNA Team Lead has overall responsibility for managing the newly established countywide Education Health and Care Needs Assessment team and for ensuring that timely and high-quality SEND casework is consistently delivered. You will lead on the 20-week statutory assessment process, ensuring your team consistently delivers high quality Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). You will build professional and productive relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, such as families and school leaders.

We are looking for someone who can bring resilience and professionalism to work in partnership with families, recognising the varied responses that can arise from navigating complex processes and challenging situations concerning their children's needs. You will model these behaviours to your team, maintaining high standards of customer care as you advise on a range of complex SEND casework.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Statutory aspects of Education, Health & Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) and Plans (EHCPs), EHCP writing and securing special educational provision and placements
• Promoting and ensuring the team's proactive communications with customers
• Direct line management of EHCNA Managers
• Providing advice and unblocking complex casework through solution-focused approaches
• Attending multi-disciplinary discussion meetings and contributing to statutory decision making
• Monitoring and managing budgets in accordance with financial procedures
• Ensuring that the team learns from complaints
• Using performance data to report progress, forecast demand and drive forward improvements

Your Application:

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A professional qualification and relevant registration together with post qualification practical experience, or substantial relevant and practical experience, in administering the statutory SEND framework or closely related work
• Deep understanding of relevant legislation and practice standards
• Ability to apply critical analysis and exercise evaluative judgement appropriately
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with good negotiation and influencing skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively
• High-level problem-solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions
• Experience in successful recruitment, management, and development of staff
• Competence in a range of IT tools including MS Office and database management systems

The role involves working in, and visiting, venues across the locality to build professional working relationships, therefore you will need to be willing and able to travel across the county as required. This is a challenging role, but you will play a vital part in helping us to achieve the best outcomes for the children and young people we support.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 8th February 2026 with interviews taking place week commencing 23rd February 2026. The preferred start date for this role is April 2026, however, a September start may also be considered. A DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) will be required for this role.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR):

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment:

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview. Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we are committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.