SEND Assessment Officer

Job description

Job Introduction

Salary: £44,253 - £47,665 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance
Hours: 37 hours a week
Contract: Permanent

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

What You'll be doing

You'll manage a caseload of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, working closely with SEND EHCP Coordinators, families, schools and professionals to make sure children and young people receive the right support.

You'll coordinate EHC needs assessments, analyse information from education, health and social care professionals, and write clear, accurate and outcome-focused EHC plans. You'll also monitor provision, support annual reviews and ensure statutory processes and timescales are met.

You'll build positive relationships across agencies, chair meetings and help resolve complex cases and disagreements. You'll also represent the Local Authority at SEND Tribunal hearings, provide advice and training, and contribute to improving SEND services and ways of working.

What we're looking for

You'll have strong knowledge and experience of statutory SEND assessment processes, including the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEN Code of Practice. Experience within a school, local authority or similar setting, and working with multiple agencies on complex cases, is essential.

You'll be an excellent communicator who can build trusted relationships, chair multi-agency meetings and confidently advise, influence and challenge a wide range of stakeholders. You'll be able to find creative solutions, manage conflict and keep children and young people's needs at the heart of your work.

You'll be organised and able to manage a complex workload while meeting statutory deadlines. You'll have strong written skills, be confident analysing complex information and producing detailed reports and EHC plans and hold a relevant professional or graduate-level qualification (or equivalent experience).

About Us

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision - that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty - is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council - and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

Application Process

LBC employees and LBC agency workers may apply for this position.

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person's criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.

Benefits

Please click here to learn about Luton Council Employee Benefits.

How to apply

We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our 'How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: Please click here for further information.

Attached documents:

• Luton_Values_Flyer.pdf - Luton Values Flyer
• Assessment Officer JD.pdf