The Role

Are you passionate about making a difference for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?

Do you want to help shape the lives of children and young people in Wandsworth?

Would you like to join a council that promotes positive outcomes for children and their parents?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

We are looking to recruit a fulltime Education, Health and Care Assistant to join our amazing team and help play a central role in achieving positive outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs in Wandsworth.

About the service

The Special Needs Assessment Service (SNAS) aims to raise the achievement of young people with SEND by putting parents and young people at the heart of planning and decision making. The service works in partnership with parents, teachers and other professionals.

SNAS has undergone a rapid transformation and we are looking for passionate and proactive individuals to join us moving forward with continuous improvement. The work is interesting, varied and can be challenging at times, although very rewarding Come and join us on our transformation journey!

About the team

The team is responsible for ensuring that the Local Authority’s statutory responsibilities towards individual children and young people are met. This post is an integral part of the SNAS team ensuring the efficient and timely assessment of children and young people aged 0 to 25 according to the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice.

The service administers the assessment process for those children and young people who may need an EHC plan to be issued. The service is also responsible for maintaining EHC plans ensuring that they are reviewed annually, and recommendations implemented.

About the role

The EHC Assistant will work alongside the EHC Co-ordinator to provide comprehensive casework management. The role is to provide specialised administrative support to the Special Education Needs service in several areas, including:

• Dealing with confidential and sensitive matters
• Answering telephone calls from parents, schools and professionals from a variety of services including the NHS and Social Care
• Issuing letters to parents and sending consultation letters to schools about pupil placements and assist in ensuring that the various statutory timescales for each part of the process are met.
• Logging emails and post and uploading information onto databases including Mosaic and Capita and ensuring accurate maintenance of databases
• Excellent communication skills are essential as the role will liaise with CYP, parents and a range of professional stakeholders. A knowledge of SEND and excellent organisational skill are key attributes of potential candidates, along with a positive mindset to embrace a challenging role.

Contact details

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Tiffany Elliott by email at Tiffany.Elliott@RichmondandWandsworth.gov.uk

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Close date: 11:59pm on Monday 2nd January 2022
• Shortlisting date: week commencing 2nd January 2022
• Interview date: week commencing 9th January 2022 

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply

To be considered for interview your CV and supporting statement must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom of the advert.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils