SEND Officer - West Yorkshire

FJ-86

£300 - £400 Per Day

Full Time

Contract

Halifax, West Yorkshire

Social Care

Posted 7 hours ago

Expires In 29 Days

Job Description

SEND Tribunal Officer | Halifax, West Yorkshire | £275-£400 per day | Flexible working arrangements

Purpose of the role
As a SEND Tribunal Officer officer, you will represent the service and develop practice across the Special Educational Needs Team to reduce the Local Authority’s exposure to risk of appeals to Tribunals.

Responsibilities of the SEN Tribunal Officer:

To take the lead on complex casework, providing effective mediation, drawing on strong negotiation and influencing skills across a range of complex SEN issues between parents, schools and multi-disciplinary practitioners.
To be a source of expert advice to the Council and SEN officers on all aspects of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).
To attend resolution meetings with parents and other professionals to settle disputed issues without the need for formal legal redress wherever possible. This will include responsibility for negotiating changes to the EHC plans using tact and diplomacy through working with families experiencing emotional turmoil.
To ensure mediation and problem resolution is an active feature at an early stage in caseworkers’ engagement with families to reduce tribunal numbers.
To ensure that the computerised database information is accurate and up to date at all times and that action is undertaken as required to ensure production of accurate and timely information.
To represent the Local Authority at the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal and defend appropriateness of the proposed service provision for an individual child/young person
To provide key leadership in case management of SEN appeal related cases to ensure that the Council discharges its responsibilities effectively in relation to statutory appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
To develop practice across the SEN team to reduce the Local Authority’s exposure to risk of appeals to Tribunals, complaints, litigation and judicial review/complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman.
To work directly with parents, schools, parental appointed legal representatives and other professional bodies within the statutory and legal framework related to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal process.

Essential requirements

GCSE Qualifications, including English and Maths (grade 4 or C and above).
Professional qualifications in education or other relevant qualification/experience
In depth knowledge and understanding of current SEN legislation and reform, statutory procedures and processes governing the provision of services for children with special educational needs.
Previous SEND case management experience, including significant experience of managing a high case load of complex cases.
Experience of Appeals and Tribunals processes and guidance.
Experience of successfully managing conflict and disputes in difficult situations.
Ability to use ICT programmes effectively to capture data and monitor performance
Experience of multi-agency working and working alongside a range of stakeholders to drive multi-disciplinary strategic change.

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