SEND Key Worker – 2 posts

Salary:  £23,541.00 - £27,041.00 per annum

 37 Hours per week – permanent

Staffordshire County Council is seeking to appoint two permanent SEND Key Workers working 37 hours per week over 5 days based at the Lichfield District Office.

We are seeking a passionate, motivated individuals who have a real drive to work with children and young people, who have special educational needs, and their families and education settings, in a person-centred way which involves the child, young person and their family in the process. 

You will need to develop collaborative relationships with individuals with SEND of all ages and their families. You will need to promote choice and independence, respect diversity and difference and reach agreement on appropriate, tangible and realistic outcomes is an integral part of the SEND Key Worker role. 

Furthermore, you will be expected to collaborate with other professionals, both within Staffordshire County Council and external partners, such as social care colleagues, the Virtual School, the Children’s Disability Service, Commissioners, Inclusion Officers, Safeguarding, NHS professionals and SENDIASS.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a service that aims to make a difference to the outcomes of children and young people with SEND in supporting them to fulfil their aspirations and preparing them for living independently, gaining meaningful employment, being part of the community and maintaining good health.

This is a fast-paced role in which you will be required to manage your own caseload independently and as part of a team.  The ability to reflect on practice and improve as a result is paramount.  Please read the job description attached for more detail on the role of the SEND Key Worker. 

Both posts will involve work with 0-25 year olds, however each post has a slightly different focus.

Post 1 - working primarily undertaking new EHC needs assessments for all ages and maintaining EHC plans for children 0-13 years.

Post 2 - working primarily maintaining EHC plans for children and young people aged 13-25 years focusing on preparation for adulthood.

Please state in your application if you have a preference for a particular post or whether you’d like to be considered for both.

Please note that travel, for meetings or training, to areas other than your usual base will also be required.

This Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, we offer a guaranteed interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Enhanced DBS

This position is subject to a criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.

The online DBS check can be completed by accessing the internet from any PC/laptop that has this facility at:

https://disclosure.capitarvs.co.uk/staffordshire

To access the online DBS service click on the link above or paste the address into the top of your web browser.  The system will guide you through the process.  Full guidance notes are also available at:

http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/jobs/CRB/CRBinformation.aspx

Once you are on the main login page, click on ‘Start Application’ in the orange box entitled ‘DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE (DBS) APPLICATION. You will then need to enter the Organisation Reference details below:

Organisation Reference: SEND

A password is not required - please just enter the above reference and click on the enter button.

A member of the interview panel will check your identity as part of the DBS application, therefore please take as many original forms of identity to your interview.  The documents required are listed both on electronic DBS system and on the DBS web site http://www.crbeguide.co.uk.  

To apply for this post click on the ‘Apply’ button below.

By clicking on the apply button you will be redirected to Staffordshire County Councils online application website. Please note, you are only able to view the Job Description and Person Specification on the WM Jobs  board NOT via Staffordshire County Council's online application site.  

To submit your application you will need to register an account on the website (NB this is a separate login to WM Jobs). 

We collect personal information from you when you register with us to make an application. Information we collect includes name, email address and other contact details. We will use this information to communicate with you generally and to assess your application.

By clicking on the Apply button and submitting your application form, you are giving your consent to the processing of your personal data in the ways described Here

If you experience any technical issues accessing or completing the application form please contact recruitment@staffordshire.gov.uk

Closing Date: 11^th February 2021
Interview Date: Thursday 4^th March 2021

For more information about the roles please contact: Helen Wilkinson, SEND Locality Manager at helen.wilkinson@staffordshire.gov.uk

Please be aware, only application forms completed online will be accepted. We will not accept CV’s or Word application forms.

Our Values

The County Council has adopted a set of values that seeks to achieve the best outcomes for its citizens, communities and employees.

Our People Strategy sets out what we all need to do to make Staffordshire County Council a great place to work, where people are supported to develop, flourish and contribute to our ambitious plans. 

Our values are at the heart of the Strategy to ensure that the focus is on what is important to the organisation and the people it serves:

• Ambitious - We are ambitious for our communities and citizens
• Courageous - We recognise our challenges and are prepared to make courageous decisions
• Empowering - We empower and support our people by giving them the opportunity to do their jobs well.

Benefits for working for us….

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to a range of benefits including:

• An excellent local government pension scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement from 24 up to 33 days (plus 2 extra statutory days and bank holidays) depending on job role and length of service
• The option to buy up to an additional 2 weeks annual leave
• A range of flexible working options, depending on your job role, which includes agile working, flexible retirement
• Family Friendly Policies - maternity, adoption, paternity and parental leave
• Volunteering Scheme
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• Access to health and wellbeing support (including Occupational Health, Physiotherapy and Counselling Services)
• Eye care vouchers
• Car lease scheme / cycle & car loan scheme / employee car share scheme

Bus and rail travel discounts