Senior SEN Case Work Advisor

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Introduction

The post is established within the team, we are looking for someone who is committed to taking over this role and maintaining team growth and developing in response to the SEN reforms in order to provide a good standard of service deliver for children and young people and their families with SEND and education providers. SEN Caseworkers appreciate this role and the supportive nature it provides.

Do you have:

Awareness of Equal Opportunities issues.

Extensive knowledge of current legislation, research, policies and guidance and its implications for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Excellent experience of working under pressure to meet tight deadlines and competing demands

Experience of developing and delivering training.

Experience of promoting service improvement, including research, developing options, consultation and implementation of improvement for a service delivery.

What’s the role? ……

Senior SEN Casework Advisor (SEN Team Year 8 to aged 25) Main Purpose of the job:

• Operational development, supporting and monitoring the SEN services work with educational providers.
• Supervision and Induction of caseworkers.
• Providing proactive support and training to staff to ensure that they have the required skills to undertake effective and efficient assessment and planning of Education, Health and Care needs assessment and can write quality Education, Health and Care plans. Also to support SEN case workers to manage case work effectively.
• Provide advice, guidance and support, ensuring that the SEN Team is responsive and customer orientated in meeting the needs of children with special needs and their families.
• Working with educational settings and relevant professionals to advise of appropriate educational strategies that would meet the outcomes for children and young people with Education, Health and Care plans.
• Working with parents/ carers and young people to provide advice, information and support regarding EHCP process • Provide cover for the Operational SEN manager when required.

What’s in it for you?

Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance.
• Local Government Pension scheme.
• Flexible working and family friendly policies.
• Season ticket and bicycle loans.
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships.
• Supportive staff networks.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for a dedicated, compassionate and enthusiastic SEN Casework Advisor who is passionate about making a difference to the live of children and young people with SEN.

You will have excellent communication skills with the ability to build positive relationships with families. schools and external professionals.

You will be highly organised, proactive and able to manage and prioritise competing deadlines effectively and support SEN Caseworkers.

You will continue to provide SEN Caseworkers with the support and supervision they need to ensure we maintain staff wellbeing and good standard service delivery.

Location

The job is primarily based in Kaleidoscope, but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis. 60:40.

Special conditions

• Relevant Teachers Qualification or extensive relevant experience.
• The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CVs.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact Tracey.Aspill@lewisham.gov.uk

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£57,180 - £59,394 per annum (PO5)

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

Let’s stay connected, follow us on social media:

LinkedIn Facebook X Instagram TikTok YouTube