SEND Senior Casework Officer

SEND Senior Casework Officer – Scale SO2 £28,805 - £30,492

SEND Services, as part of Worcestershire Children First are seeking a Senior Casework Officer. The post will be full time (35 hours).

The SEND Service oversees and co-ordinates the Council's responsibilities for SEND. This includes the casework management for over 4,000 children and young adults who have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). We are looking for someone who has proven SEND experience and has the right level of knowledge about children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The work is very varied and members of the service deal with a wide range of people and organisations: parents and carers; schools, early education settings and colleges; health professionals such as therapists and paediatricians; social workers; family support workers.

The Senior Casework Officer’s role is to support the SEND Manager in the delivery of the statutory processes related to the LA provision for individuals with high level SEND.

This role is about operational efficiency and effectiveness of the team that you work with. You would co-ordinate the work of SEN Casework Officers, and SEN Admin Officers on a day to day basis. This includes making sure that team deadlines are met, for example, EHC plans are drafted to the right standard and on time, and that annual reviews from schools and settings are dealt with promptly. You would work with other Senior Caseworkers across the Service co-ordinating admissions to special schools and autism bases, and dealing with Phase Transfer, Annual Reviews and Worcestershire children attending schools out of County.

You would liaise closely with the Virtual School for Looked After Children and may be asked to act as key worker for a small number of cases where highly individualised arrangements have been made or where cases are particularly complex. You would spend regular time out of the office, working with schools, other educational settings and parents. Some of the casework may be complex and so you require good problem-solving skills, the ability to work under pressure and be able to remain professional at all times.  You may support strategic development work. Senior Casework Officers are part of the Senior Management team.

If you would like further information on this role, please call 01905 846000 and ask for Sarah McGinnes or via email smcginnes@worcschildrenfirst.org.uk

TO APPLY: Please email your CV & EOI, written against the attached personal specification, to Socialworkopps@worcestershire.gov.uk

Closing date: 25th January 2021

Interview date: week commencing 1^st February 2021