SEND Caseworker

Job Profile
Role Profile
Job Title: EHCP Coordinator
Directorate: All Age Disability (0-25) Service
Service: SEND Casework Team
Salary Grade: Scale 6
Reporting to: SEND Team Manager
Responsible for: N/A
Working hours: 35 hours a week.
Please note: You may at times be required to work outside of core office hours to fulfil the responsibilities of this role.
Location: County Hall, Worcester, Worcestershire.
DBS Check: Essential requirement for working with children and young people.


About Children’s Services in Worcestershire
Children’s Services Directorate delivers children’s social care, education, SEND, early help, and fostering services across the County.

Our Vision is for Worcestershire to be a wonderful place for all children and young people to grow up.
Our Mission is to support children and young people to be happy, healthy, and safe.
Our Values:
Children at our heart
We will keep children and young people at the heart of everything we do.

Value family life
We will support and empower parents to care for their own children well.

Good education for all
We will value education as the best start in life for all children.

Protection from harm
We will act in a timely and professional way to protect children from harm.

About our SEND Casework Team
The SEND Casework Team support over 7,500 children and young people, with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to achieve good educational outcomes. The role involves liaising with families, and other professionals, to coordinate, create, implement, monitor, and amend Education, Health, and Care Plans.

The EHCP process is carried out in-line with the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Code of Practice 2014.

SEND EHCP Coordinators are responsible for producing high-quality EHCPs, preparing for and attending meetings associated with the EHCP process. Building strong, positive relationships with parent/carers, educational settings, and other professionals. They support children and young people achieve good educational outcomes whilst transitioning successfully between different phases of education.

Further useful information:

Our Vision for children and young people with SEND:
In Worcestershire we want all children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities to be truly seen and respected as individuals and to be the best they can be.

Worcestershire County Council Children’s Services commitment to staff
· Flexible & agile working approaches.
· Regular 1-1s and supervision.
· A flexible benefit offer which includes mental health support, physiotherapy, gym membership and annual flu vaccinations.
· Wellbeing offer which includes wellbeing days, champions, and mental health first aiders.
· Support with career progression through training opportunities.
· Regular work updates: how your contribution is support children and young people across the County.
· Solution focused team working to deliver shared goals.

Job Description
Responsibilities, duties, and tasks
1) To act as a local authority officer responsible for the production of the statutory EHC plan within deadlines, and in line with organisational policies and procedures.
2) Hold a caseload of EHC plans and be responsible for the case management of these plans. To include; consultation with professionals, education settings and updating of plans. Providing families with a named point of contact within the LA.
3) To approve funding up to the level of E1.
4) To Represent the SEND service and ensure progress towards outcomes and amending EHCPs in a timely manner to ensure educational provision continues to best meet the needs of the child/young person.
5) Considering and completing applications for and the implications of transport on placements in line with the WCC transport policy.
6) To participate in a multi-agency approach to the writing and amendment of an EHCP, forming high quality relationships with families, educational settings, and key staff within:
Ø Education and Skills,
Ø Children's and Adult's social care services,
Ø Health,
Ø Other agencies (including SENDIASS) as appropriate.
7) To ensure EHCPs are clear and well structured, with SMART targets which are child-centred and support preparation for adulthood.
8) To ensure case files, documentation, the case management database, and any financial record keeping, is up to date and accurate.
9) To prepare and present documentation at multi-agency placement panels and to implement any decisions arising from those panels.
10) To ensure that statutory process and deadlines are met to support children and young people moving through phases of education, in liaison with the SEND Senior EHCP Coordinators. To ensure amendments to EHCPs have been made in line with statutory deadlines.
11) To effectively manage conflicting priorities, within a caseload, through effective planning, and through flexible working.
12) To build and maintain positive relationships with families, schools, and other professionals, acting as the main point of contact, responding to telephone and email enquiries in a timely manner.
13) To take part in and support SEND meetings relevant to the role/caseload, taking meeting minutes when requested by the chair.
14) To support the Senior SEND EHCP Coordinator with tasks as and when required.
15) To work co-operatively with other SEND EHCP Coordinators to ensure flexibility to case management at times of pressure.
16) To ensure the welfare of children and young people, adhering to the Worcestershire County Council safeguarding policy.
17) To keep up-to-date with legislation, policies, and procedures, as well as continued professional development.
18) To undertake other any other reasonable duties within the overall function commensurate with the grading and level of responsibility of the post.
Notes
Ø Work in Regulated Activity and in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) as amended and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, to be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and to have a relevant enhanced level Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure certificate.
Ø Undertake work which is concerned with the establishment or operation of a database or work that may require access to a database under Section 12 of the Children's Act 2004 and which is of such a kind as to enable the postholder to have access to information included in the database.
Ø The Council reserves the right to alter the content of this Job Description, after consultation, to reflect changes to the job or services provided, without altering the general character or level of responsibility.
Ø Reasonable adjustments will be considered as required by the Disability Discrimination Act.
Ø The duties described in this Job Description must be carried out in a manner which promotes equality of opportunity, dignity and due respect for all employees and service users and is consistent with the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy.









Author: C. Krivosic/L. Hall 2024

Person Specification
Qualifications & training
It is essential that the postholder is educated to degree standard in either teaching, social care, childcare, or psychology (or equivalent with evidence of relevant experience).

It is desirable that the postholder has evidence of continued professional development within a SEND/educational environment.
Experience & knowledge
It is essential that the postholder has:
1) Considerable experience of working in a service that focuses on children and young people with SEND, either in a Children's Services provision or in a service that secures and monitors provision.
2) A thorough working knowledge of relevant and current SEND legislation and practice guidance, especially the SEND Code of Practice 2015.
3) An understanding of the perspective and concerns of parents, schools and settings in relation to education for children and young people with SEND.
4) An understanding of the issues associated with provision of inclusive education in mainstream and specialist settings.
5) A general understanding of the national curriculum and wider educational provision available to pupils of different ages and in different education settings.
6) Considerable experience, and evidence-based understanding, of effective decision-making processes.
7) Understanding of the roles of fieldwork SEND staff, as well as the role of a SENCO.

It is desirable that the postholder has:
1) Experience of working in the SEND service of a Children's Services Directorate.
2) Experience of direct work with children with SEND in a school or education setting.
3) Experience of working with parents and carers of children with SEND.
Skills & abilities
It is essential that the postholder has:
1) The ability to draft statements or documents, by:
Ø Identifying specific information about pupil needs and provision from complex advice, reports and information received.
Ø Analysing reports for themes.
Ø Synthesising detail into summary text.
2) The ability to work flexibly in different settings, in a changing work environment and with changing deadlines, priorities and client groups.
3) A determined and positive approach to work, demonstrating a can-do attitude.
4) The skills to be a strong team member, with a readiness to work flexibly to secure team output requirements, and the ability to develop and sustain complementary working practices.
5) An ability to work in a changing work environment, showing initiative in the development of new systems to support working practice.
6) A creative thinker, with problem solving skills, and the ability to predict potential problems, identify them and develop approaches to manage or avoid them.
7) High levels of literacy skills – with an ability to write in different styles for different purposes.
8) Willing to undertake training and / or develop expertise in areas relevant to overall team objectives, and to refocus work according to changing needs.
9) Well-developed interpersonal skills, including skills in defusing potentially difficult situations and resolving conflict.
10) The ability to adopt different communication styles in different work scenarios
11) Highly developed communication skills (written and oral), and strong conflict resolution skills.
12) An understanding of non-verbal communication styles, and how to present with empathy and understanding to parents in meetings.
13) Experience of ICT, including Word, Excel, Outlook and database systems.
14) An ability to work as a member of a team in a pressurised environment, including responding to emotionally charged situations in appropriate, sensitive and effective ways.
15) An ability to prioritise competing demands and plan ahead, managing tight deadlines and time effectively whilst retaining a positive approach.
16) The ability and willingness to use initiative and independence in managing workload, whilst recognising the need to seek advice and support when necessary.
Additional factors
It is essential that the postholder is:
1) Committed to an inclusive approach to SEND.
2) Able to travel throughout the County.






Author: C. Krivosic/L. Hall 2024
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